How Time Passes
by Anwinn
Summary: About a girl with an incredible gift that could change the lives of Obiwan, Anakin, and the rest of the Jedi. FINAL CHAPTER POSTED! Look for the sequal In the Hands of Time coming soon.
1. The First Time He Met Her

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Every human being has six mutations in their DNA, giving unique qualities and abilities to each individual. Sometimes these mutations allow a person to do things beyond imagination.

Ch. 1: The First Time He Met Her

Airiana awoke slowly, easing herself out of the wonderful dream she was having about Heath Ledger serving her a chocolate cake with chocolate syrup oozing down the sides. As she gained consciousness she noticed that she was lying on a cold, damp, paved alley. "So much for Heath," she thought, standing up.

She started to walk away from the main street and towards the back of the alley. As she rounded the corner she felt the force give warn her. Reflexively, Airiana pulled out her sword as a Rodian jumped out at her, dagger in hand.

Airiana had always thought Rodians looked like overgrown house flies. Spending some time on Tatooine, she was accustomed to them, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop picturing them as overgrown house flies. This particular fly was beginning to turn into a pest. At the sound of distant footsteps he made a quick jab at Airiana, attempting to move her out of his way. Airiana held her ground; she could sense his desperation and guessed he was an outlaw running from the local authorities.

The sound of footsteps got closer, Fly-man took another quick glance behind; she could tell by the look on his face that he was desperate to get the hell outta there. She followed his glance and saw two men running toward them. As the men got closer, his desperation grew; he told her to get outta his way. Airiana refused. Fly-man lunged once more, but this time Airiana side-stepped and hit him with the hilt of her sword as he rushed passed her, knocking him out cold.

As Fly-man hit the ground the two men came to a stop and took a second to regain their breaths. As Airiana looked up from the Rodian, she couldn't believe her eyes. Ben Kenobi was standing right in front of her. No, not Ben – Obi-wan, she reminded herself. And Anakin was with him, still human and still a Jedi.

"Good work," Obi-wan said.

"Thanks," Airiana replied, putting her sword back in its scabbard.

"Bind his hands Anakin - then comm the king's officials and let them know we've got him."

"Yes Master," replied Anakin, bending down.

Business over, Obi-wan took good look at Airiana. She was about medium-height, if not, a little on the short side, but strongly built. Her hair was shoulder length and chestnut brown, as were her eyes. Her dress, he thought, was rather strange. She was wearing thick boots with laces, dark brown pants, a loose fitting knit shirt, and a dark blue cloak. Not only was her appearance somewhat unusual, but her force presence was as well; she seemed as if she didn't quite belong here, but at the same time, she seemed as though she did. Not only this, but he felt as though he had met her somewhere before; he just couldn't place where he had seen her.

"Yes?" Airiana asked as she noticed the man staring at her.

"Oh, excuse me; I was simply admiring your unique attire."

"Oh," was all Airiana could say; she had forgotten what she was wearing. Then, as she remembered he didn't know her yet, she introduced herself. "My name is Airiana, by the way."

"I am Jedi Knight Obi-wan Kenobi and this is my apprentice, Anakin Skywalker." Anakin tilted his head as Airiana said a polite, "Hello." She didn't say it to his face, though. She couldn't, no after all the things he did, "Or will do," she thought to herself.

Airiana was about to ask what planet she was on, when she was cut off by two speeders pulling up; Obi-wan and Anakin turned their attention to them while Airiana took the opportunity to slip into the shadows; not wanting to be seen by anyone else.

Obi-wan noticed her go into the shadows, but didn't say anything; there would be time for questions later. Now, however, there was business to attend to.

After shaking hands, the officials piled Fly-man into the speeder and exchanged a few words with Obi-wan and Anakin. Airiana watched, mesmerized, as she thought of what she was going to say. She couldn't tell them the truth, could she? No, they wouldn't believe her. Even if they did, the less they knew the better.

The officials offered to take the Jedi back to the palace, but Obi-wan refused, saying that they still had some business to attend to; a few minutes later the speeders were gone and Airiana came out of the shadows.

"Would you like to walk back to the palace with us?" Obi-wan asked as the speeders flew out of sight.

"Um…sure," and Obi-wan and Anakin began to walk toward the main street.

"Do you mind if we take the back way? I don't wanna cause a scene or anything," Airiana said, looking down at her clothes.

"Of course," said Obi-wan and they turned around.

The three walked in silence for a few paces, then, Obi-wan asked, "So, you're not from around here?"

"Um…" How was she going to answer that? "No, but I spend a lot of time on Tatooine." Well, that certainly wasn't what she wanted to blurt out.

"That's my home planet. Which part are you from?" Anakin asked.

"All over, I travel pretty much."

"Ever been in Mos Espa?"

"No, I haven't," replied Airiana, hoping he was finished asking questions. Just as she thought her wish was going to be granted Obi-wan decided it was his turn. "Tatooine? That's a long ways off, what made you come here?"

Airiana thought about her reply a long time before answering; she knew that tone of voice too well. It was his 'negotiator's voice.' He always drove her crazy when he'd ask her stuff in that tone of voice.

As Obi-wan was about to repeat the question, the answer jumped into her head. "The force brought me here."

"The force brought you here?"

"Yes."

This wasn't a response Obi-wan had expected; it was some time before he decided on his next question. Before he got a chance to ask it, however, they reached the palace, so instead he asked, "Do you have lodgings for the night?"

Airiana knew he'd offer her a room if she said no and she really didn't want that. She needed time away from the two of them to relax and think about things; on the other hand, she _did_ need a place to stay for the night and she felt the force gently nudge her towards them. "No, I don't."

"Would you like to spend the night in the palace? I'm sure His Majesty won't mind housing you for the night since you assisted in the capture of his gardener."

"Sure," Airiana said with a little smile. Ben had told her about this mission. The king's gardener was actually a member of an extremist political party that was attempting to assassinate the king and take over the government.

As she was remembering this, she had followed Obi-wan and Anakin into the throne room; the king had thanked her for helping catch his would-be assassin and granted her permission to stay the night. Airiana was shown to her room and given some supper while Obi-wan and Anakin reported the details of the chase and arranged for their departure the following day.

After eating, Airiana decided to meditate; she had a lot on her mind and needed to figure it out before morning. She sat down on the bed and closed her eyes. She could feel the force pull her in, engulfing her until it was the only thing she was aware of. She could feel Obi-wan's presence and reached out to it, but it wasn't what she was expecting; she had a bond with him, but he didn't have a bond with he; again she was reminded of the times.

This was when everything would change; Palpitine would rise to power, Anakin would be lured to the dark side, and the Jedi would be destroyed. She saw it all; she saw the start of the clone wars, the various battles, the people who died in them, and finally she saw that fateful duel between master and padawan. She had seen that last battle a hundreds time before; Ben had dreamed about it at least once a week and because of their bond, she dreamed about it too.

She knew it by heart, as if it were a movie she had watched over and over again. She knew every move both Obi-wan and Vader would make and everything they would say to each other. And then there was the end. Both Obi-wan and Vader were tiring. They were getting closer to the edge of a pool of lava; he lost his footing and started falling back.


	2. Premonitions and Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Every human being has six mutations in their DNA, giving unique qualities and abilities to each individual. Sometimes these mutations allow a person to do things beyond imagination.

Ch. 2: Premonitions & Revelations 

Airiana awoke with a start; the image of Obi-wan's body disappearing beneath the lava refusing to erase itself from her sight; she hadn't realized she had fallen asleep. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves then looked out the window; daylight was streaming in through the curtains. Airiana got up and walked towards it; this would be the perfect place for meditating, "And not falling asleep," she thought.

She sat down and began to meditate. Her vision had scared her, plain and simple. She knew it was a vision; dreams are never that detailed and Obi-wan never fell into the lava pit before. She was the reason it had changed – or might change. She couldn't let that happen. But what could she do? She couldn't talk to Obi-wan about it, he was too closely affected and she certainly couldn't talk to Anakin about it. Who did that leave?

Airiana's eyes popped open. Of course! How could she forget? Now that the answer was clear, she began planning. As she thought about what she had to do, she put on some clothing that had been set out for her, glad she didn't have to wear her outfit from yesterday. Just as she finished there was a knock at her door; it was Obi-wan.

"May I come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I just wanted to let you know that Anakin and I will be leaving later this morning."

"I'm going with you."

"What do you mean you're going with us?" Obi-wan asked with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm going with you and Anakin to the Jedi Temple; I need to speak with Master Yoda." Airiana replied in an authoritative tone.

"I see," then, after a pause, "May I ask what you need to speak with Master Yoda about? I may be able to help you."

"No, I _must_ speak with Master Yoda. What time, exactly, are we leaving?"

"Two hours," Obi-wan answered as he turned to leave.

He wasn't sure what had just happened. That wasn't the same person he met yesterday. Something had changed; Airiana wasn't timid, shy, and unsure of herself anymore. And she had just _told_ him that she was going to the Jedi Temple with him. She hadn't asked – she told. Why didn't he say she couldn't, like he should have done; she wasn't a Jedi and wasn't in anyway related to the Jedi, as far as he could tell. She did have a very strong force presence, though, and didn't seem completely untrained, which lead Obi-wan back to where he started. Something was definitely different about this girl, he just couldn't figure out what it was.

"You missed a good breakfast, Master," Anakin said as he entered their quarters and plopped himself down on a sofa.

"You think every breakfast is a good breakfast," Obi-wan said with a small smile.

"That's because every breakfast _is_ a good breakfast."

"Are you ready to leave?" asked Obi-wan.

"Yes Master."

"Airiana will be traveling with us." Anakin raised his eyebrows. "She said she must speak with Master Yoda," Obi-wan continued.

"And you're letting her, a complete stranger who we just met last night, go to the Jedi Temple with us?" asked the padawan a little sarcastically.

Obi-wan cracked another smile; it was usually him asking those kinds of questions to Anakin. "I didn't have much choice in the matter, actually. She never really asked, just told me she was coming with; I got the feeling she wouldn't take no for an answer. And there's something about her. I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling we met her for a reason. Perhaps we'll find out what that reason is once we reach the temple," then, looking at his wristchrono he said, "Come on, it's time to leave."

Airiana had spent most of the flight thinking about what she was going to say to Master Yoda; she thought she knew, but now as she stood in front of the Jedi Council, she wasn't so sure. She hadn't expected to be standing in front of the whole council.

Master Windu's voice broke her out of her reverie, "Airiana, you wished to speak with the council?"

"Actually, I only want to speak to Master Yoda."

Yoda had been staring attentively at her throughout Obi-wan's report now he closed his eyes briefly and then said slowly, "A great secret you have; fear surrounds it. Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Meet you I will in the Room of a Thousand Fountains." A short silence followed then Master Windu told Airiana that she would be staying with Obi-wan and Anakin until other arrangements could be made.

After throwing her bag in a corner and having a bite to eat, Airiana was lead by Anakin to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. As they walked, Airiana tried to take everything in; the Jedi Temple was more beautiful than Ben had let on. The walls were a light brown and seemed to glow as the hall lights shown on them, the floors were marble, and the whole building seemed to be alive with the force. She couldn't help but think that within a few years it would most likely all be gone.

They reached the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Before Airiana walked in Anakin gave her some advice, "Make sure you keep your shins protected and you should be fine." Airiana smiled back as she entered the room; she had already learned that lesson the hard way.

As Airiana walked in, the cool mist of the fountains brushed by her, refreshing and calming her. She looked around for Master Yoda, but she didn't see him; instead, she saw fountains upon fountains of every shape and size. Exotic plants and flowers took up the space between the fountains and narrow paths of smooth pebbles wound their way through it all.

She chose one of the paths and began to walk down it. The farther she walked into the room, the more beautiful she thought it became. She could easily see why this was one of Ben's favorite places within the Temple.

As she walked around one of the bends in the path, she spotted Master Yoda. She walked over to him and gave a low bow before sitting down. They passed a few moments in silence and then Yoda said, "Much fear in you, there is. Dangerous, this is. Feel you were trained, I do. Who was your master?"

Airiana hesitated before replying, "You were."

There was a long pause before Master Yoda said, "Feel the truth in you I do, but understand I do not. Explain you must."

It was a few moments before Airiana decided where to start, then she said, "I can travel through time. I always could – it was just something I was born with. I think it's genetic because my mother had the same ability, although, it happened a lot less to her. My grandfather told me that she did it once when she was about two years old and only twice more – one of those times was when she had me. I think the time she traveled to was this time, or a few years ago. When I turned eighteen, about six months ago, my grandfather gave me her lightsaber. Unfortunately, I don't have it with me; it was left in the past."

"I first meet you and Obi-wan about 25 years from now when I'm two years old. Ben brings me to you to be trained. You train me in the ways of the force, but also help me control my ability."

"Although you trained me, I still spent a lot of time with Obi-wan and he told me a lot about this time period. I don't think I was here before, and now that I am, I'm afraid I might change the future for the worse. I already had a vision where something has changed."

"This is why I'm afraid. I don't know why I'm here. I keep wondering if I am supposed to change the future or if I'm here by accident."

"I know that everything happens for a reason, but if that was completely true, the future wouldn't always be in motion; I don't want to get into that now, though, because I've already debated it enough with you. I didn't know who else to talk to about this. I guess I'm hoping you'll give me some advice."

Yoda took a long time in answering before he said, "Meditate on this I must; guide us the force will. Until then, be patient and speak to no one of this. May the Force be with you."

Airiana stood-up and began to bow, but then she remembered something. "About my mother…did you know her? In her home-time her name was Anwyn, but it could be different here."

"Know an Anwyn, I do not, but look into this matter I will."

"Thank-you," Airiana said as she bowed and headed back to Obi-wan and Anakin's quarters.

First off, I hope this explains some things. Don't worry, though, I still have some surprises in store; after all, this is only the beginning. And thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them, but don't stop now - keep reviewing!


	3. The Tour

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Every human being has six mutations in their DNA, giving unique qualities and abilities to each individual. Sometimes these mutations allow a person to do things beyond imagination.

Ch. 3: The Tour

On the way back to Obi-wan and Anakin's quarters Airiana thought about what Yoda had told her and what she should do until the reason for her being in this time revealed itself – if it ever did. Although she was lost in thought she still noticed the side glances and stares that she got from passing Jedi. They all felt she wasn't meant to be here and wondered why she was. They made her feel uncomfortable, like an outsider. She supposed she should be used to that by now, though.

After what seemed like a never-ending labyrinth of hallways Airiana finally reached her temporary quarters. The door slid open and she walked in. Anakin was watching something on what she called the TV and Obi-wan was making a wonderful, savory smell in the tiny kitchen.

"Did you protect your shins like I told you to?" Anakin asked, breaking the ice.

Smiling Airiana replied triumphantly, "Nope. And I don't have a bruise on me."

"Beginner's luck," Ani answered back.

This made Airiana outright laugh. It was anything but beginner's luck – she had gotten smacked in the shins by that damn stick more times than she could count. Of course, she wasn't going to let Ani know that; it was more fun this way.

"Did you discuss what you needed to with him?" asked Obi-wan.

"Yep, he said he needed to meditate on it and get back to me," then, to switch the subject she asked, "Whatcha makin?"

Obi-wan told her, but it was something she wasn't even going to try and pronounce.

"Well, it smells delicious."

"Thank-you," he replied and then decided now would be a good time to get to know this mystery girl a little better.

"We didn't get much of chance to talk yet, why don't you tell us a little about yourself."

"Like what?" Airiana asked, not liking where this was going.

"Where you're from, who your parents are, things you enjoy?"

"Well, my home-planet is called Earth and it's far, far away. My mother's name was Anwyn. She died soon after I was born and I don't know who my father is. I love to read – I plan on having my own personal library someday. I played basketball in high school – that's a sport on my home-world. I work-out at the gym, sword-fight, read some more, watch movies and TV, listen to music…that's it I guess."

"Would you like to see the Temple's library and sparring rooms then?" Obi-wan asked as he took something out of the oven.

"I'd love to."

"Good – tomorrow then. I'll give you the grand tour."

"Is supper ready, Master?" Anakin put in.

"Yes, padawan, it is," and the three of them sat down to eat.

The supper and the rest of the night consisted of much of the same kind of small talk. Airiana was fascinated by how much Obi-wan was so similar, yet different. He was so much younger and carefree. At the same time he still had the same sense of humor and the same kind of expressions and mannerisms.

As for Anakin, he wasn't anything like she expected. He was so youthful and full of life – and light. She had always pictured him as a quiet, introverted, sad kid…kind of a loner. The real Anakin was nothing like that. He was talkative, full of quick and witty comments, sarcastic, and friendly. For the first time she realized how much it must have hurt Ben to see this promising student turn into a monster. Even though she knew what he would probably become, she couldn't convince herself to be wary of him and keep her distance; as far as she knew Anakin and Vader were two completely different people.

The next day started out like the last one ended. After another delicious meal for breakfast prepared by Obi-wan and some more small talk, Ani left to meet up with some friends and Obi-wan and Airiana headed out to start her tour.

They began with the gardens, the crèche, and the classrooms; these areas alone took them until morning. The crèche took the longest of all because the younglings wouldn't let Obi-wan go. They loved him. And it was no wonder too; he was wonderful with them, even though he wouldn't admit it. They spent a lot of time in the gardens too. It was a beautiful place with all kinds of tropical tree and plants. There was even a swimming hole.

Next, they visited the cafeteria for a bite to eat. The food was actually better than Airiana would have expected. They sat with one of Obi-wan's friends, Garen. He seemed really nice and easy to get along with. Airiana spent most of lunch just listening to the two friends talk. They told stories from when they were initiates and talked about some of their recent missions. An hour and a half passed before they got up and went on their way.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Obi-wan asked as they walked down the hall to the training rooms.

"Yeah, I am."

And in fact she was. The Jedi Temple was an unbelievable place. It was beautiful, serene, cozy, and full of life. Not only this, but Airiana finally knew exactly what it looked like; for so long she only had Ben's short and often vague descriptions. She had also found out a lot about Ben that she didn't know before; who his friends were, who his teachers were, what his classes had been like, what his master had been like. All these things had been stuff Ben never talked about.

"Good," he said as they entered one of the larger training rooms.

"So, do you want to spar?" Airiana playfully asked as she walked out to the middle of the sparring mat.

Interested in seeing how much she actually knew, Obi-wan took the opportunity.

"I must warn you, however, I was taught by one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live."

Airiana smiled, "I was just joking. We just ate, remember? There's no way I'm sparring anyone right now."

"Oh, well, in that case would you like to find a match to watch?"

"Sure."

Obi-wan lead her to the next sparring room, but that one was empty to. In the third room they tried, however, a match had just started. They went up to the balconies in order to get the best view. Airiana had never seen a sparring match between two Jedi before; this one was a master and padawan. The apprentice was probably the same age as Anakin, maybe a little older. The match was intense, and fast-paced; Airiana thought it was awesome. Obi-wan explained some of the moves the opponents executed and criticized few of them too. Airiana just smiled and listened. She didn't really need anything explained and she could have challenged some of Obi-wan's critiques, but decided that it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.

After about fifteen or twenty minutes Obi-wan said, "So would you like to see the library now?"

"Of course," and they left the dueling Jedi.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Airiana asked as Obi-wan lead her into the library.

He had noticed throughout the day that Airiana seemed most excited to see the library. He offered to bring her here first, but she had refused saying that she wanted to save the best for last. Thinking this, he wanted her to be awed by the library, so instead of just letting her walk in, he made her shut her eyes and be led to the middle of the library.

"Okay, stop. Now you may open your eyes."

Airiana opened them. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was the largest library she had ever been in and instead of regular paper books there were holo-disks, holo-vids, and other types of disks that she didn't even know the names to.

She was actually a little disappointed; she liked paper books and the 'old-fashioned' libraries. They smelled good and always seemed to have really comfy chairs; they were cozy. This, however, wasn't any of those things. The disks were cold, hard, and unfriendly. There weren't many chairs either, most of them were in front of computer screens and looked anything but comfy. She also expected that this was more of a research library than anything else. It probably wouldn't have any Shakespeare, Dickens, or Bronte in it. Still, it was a library – and a huge one at that.

She didn't let her disappointment show, "It's unbelievable."

"It is impressive," Obi-wan said looking around. He was always in amazed by it when he took the time to stop and think about how big it actually was and how much information was stored in it.

"What are those?" Airiana asked pointing to some statues along the aisles of 'books.'

"They're busts of great Jedi Masters."

"Oh."

As they were walking along the main aisles, Airiana took notice of one particular bust. "Who's this?"

"That's Count Dooku. He was one of Master Yoda's apprentices and was my master's master."

"Is he still alive?" Airiana asked apprehensively.

"Yes he is, though he's no longer a Jedi. He left the order about nine years ago."

"May I ask why?"

"He believes that the Senate is corrupt and the Jedi Order has close ties to the Senate. I'm sure there is more to it than that, but that's all I know. Since he's left the order, he's become the leader of a separatist organization, persuading star systems to leave the Republic and join him. Some people believe the Separatists are even responsible for some recent terrorist attacks. May I ask why you seem so interested in Dooku?"

"He looks a lot like someone I used to know," Airiana replied quietly, staring at the bust as scenes from her past flashed through her mind.

"Well, I'm sure it's not the same person."

"No, probably not," she agreed, though she wasn't so sure.

Oooo, cliff-hanger. I promise I won't leave ya hangin. I might be tempted to if no one reviews though. I can't stress it enough; please, Please, PLEASE review.


	4. Ghosts of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Every human being has six mutations in their DNA, giving unique qualities and abilities to each individual. Sometimes these mutations allow a person to do things beyond imagination.

Ch. 4: Ghosts from the Past

When they arrived back at Obi-wan's quarters there was a message on the 'phone'; Airiana had been given temporary quarters. She grabbed her bag and sword, said a short thanks and good-bye to Obi-wan, and headed to her new rooms. She hadn't really wanted to leave so soon, but after seeing Count Dooku's bust all she wanted to do was find somewhere secluded and quiet where she could meditate.

She walked to the turbo-lift, went down three floors, turned to the right, and came to her door. When she opened her door she threw her stuff in a corner and took a look around. It was smaller than Obi-wan and Anakin's, but not too small. As she walked in there was a short hallway. To the right laid the kitchen/dining area and living room. On the left hand side there was a bedroom, bathroom, and small closet. The walls were tan colored and lacked any decoration except for a single shelf that was the perfect size for her sword. An almost-white carpet covered all the flooring except for the kitchen and bathroom, which were done with tiles the same color as the carpet. A peninsula extending from the kitchen counter-top served as a table and two stools served as chairs. There was a sofa and chair in the living room, both dark brown, puffy, and facing the inner wall towards the 'TV.' On the wall opposite the doorway there were two windows, one in the living room and one in the bedroom; light from the soon-to-be-setting-sun streamed in, casting a soft orange glow into the quarters that brought with it a sense of peace, serenity, and relaxation.

Airiana felt nothing of the kind, however. Deciding that the living room chair looked comfiest she sat down and began to meditate. She let the force wash over her and take her where it may. It led her back to when she was 16. She paid close attention to the flashes of memories she saw; black riders, swords crashing against one another, dark tunnels, and two towers with an evil being in them. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. She opened her eyes with a start. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew she had seen the truth. Somehow, someway, Saruman had returned as Count Dooku.

The emotions that this revelation brought with it were too much to bear. Airiana felt the tears welling-up behind her eyes. She fought them back. She didn't want to cry; she hated crying. Her nose always got stuffed-up so bad she couldn't breathe, her eyes got red, puffy, and bloodshot, and pressure always built-up between them usually followed by a headache, sore neck, and sore shoulders.

In spite of not wanting to go through all of that, her defenses slipped and a tear slowly made its way out the corner of her eye and down her cheek. Not wanting to be left behind, many others soon followed. It wasn't long before she lost control and began sobbing. Why did this have to happen to her? And _now_ of all times – why ­_now_? She thought she was finished with him and everything else that happened. And now the same thing was happening! Dooku had been a Jedi, a _great_ Jedi, and he had left the order. The similarities between his present life and his past life were too many to ignore. It just wasn't fair! Why had she been given this stupid ability in the first place! She just wanted to be normal; not be able to travel through time and have visions and levitate stuff, and do whatever else it is the force lets her do. She just wanted to have a normal life, even if it was only for a day.

Thoughts like these kept twirling around Airiana's desperate and tired mind. Deep down she knew she would never give up the gifts that she had been born with, but it was just so much to deal with sometimes, especially in times like this; she felt so overwhelmed by the knowledge she had been given. After meditating she knew without a doubt that Dooku was Saruman. She also knew she would have to inform Master Yoda. She wasn't looking forward to it, though; she had a feeling she would have to let the rest of the council know who she was and what she could do very soon.

Much calmer now, Airiana noticed that she was sitting in the dark. She looked around for a clock and found one in the kitchen. It wasn't really that late yet, so after finding tissues and blowing her nose about 20 times, she decided to see if she would need to get anything for her new rooms.

After searching through every room she found that all the essentials had been provided; all she needed to get was some more clothes and a few knick-knacks to give her quarters a homey feeling. Deciding what she wanted and where she would put it was a job for another day, though; she was drained. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth before climbing into bed for a restless night's sleep.

Airiana awoke to stillness. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was and then the events of the following day came back to her as her mind became more alert. She stayed in bed awhile, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning and reflecting on her break-down. She always felt so silly the next morning after having a crying fit like that, but she reasoned it away; everyone needed a good cry every now and then. Now that it was out of her way she could concentrate on what needed to do.

First, she needed to meditate again and see if she could get anything else out of the force now that the initial shock was over and she had control of her emotions. Then, she would have to find Yoda and tell him of her concerns; that could take awhile since she would have a lot more explaining to do. She'd also like to see if he found anything about her mother, even though he hadn't had much time to look. Somewhere she'd have to fit in lunch and supper, and hopefully she'd have time to see Obi-wan and Anakin; if not both of them, at least Obi-wan.

She wished she could tell him what was on her mind; he had always been the one person she told everything too. He always listened attentively, never judged too quickly, gave her good advice, and made her feel better. She knew the Obi-wan in this time wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough.

She smiled as she thought she _could_ take a little trip to the future and have a chat with good old Ben, but that was out of the question. Even though she had the ability to jump between times at will, she rarely used it because it physically drained her and now wasn't the best time to be drained; she needed all the energy she had if she was going to make it through the day. With that, Airiana dragged herself from the warm covers and made her way to the bathroom.

"I have very important information concerning Count Dooku," Airiana said as she walked into a meditation chamber with Master Yoda.

"At least I think it is important, I'm not quite sure if it means anything or not – I could just be over-reacting, but either way, I thought I should tell you about it just in case."

Airiana would have kept going, but she was stopped by a quick smack in her shins from her former master, "Calm yourself you must."

"Yes, Master," she replied dutifully.

"Now, explain yourself you will. What concerns have you about Count Dooku?"

"As I told you before, I've been to different time periods. In the past – the far, far past – there was a man named Saruman. He was a wizard, an order that somewhat resembled the Jedi. In that order, he was given the highest title there was – he was known as Saruman the White, Saruman the Wise. And he was. Then something happened to him."

"His wisdom began to work against him, he began craving power. He knew of an object that would give him the power he craved and he made plans to obtain it. He became evil, engulfed by the dark side."

"Yesterday, Obi-wan took me to the library. I saw a bust of Dooku. He looks exactly like Saruman. I spent last night and part of this morning meditating on this – to see if there was anything in it. I think there is; I think Saruman has returned as Count   
Dooku and I think Dooku will repeat what Saruman has already done."

"Grave accusations these are, but very unlikely it is that Dooku would turn to the dark side – a Jedi he once was."

"I realize that. But Saruman was a great wizard and he still fell. It may not happen the same way or for the same reasons it did before, but I can't help feeling that Dooku will fall."

"Take into consideration all that you have said I will, but worry about it I would not," replied Yoda attempting to alleviate Airiana's worries and fears.

"Yes, Master," she answered more to the floor than to Master Yoda.

"Something else you wish to discuss?"

"Yes, there is. I was wondering if you have found anything on my mother."

"Looked I have for your mother. No Anwyn there is in the Temple Archives."

"Oh," Airiana said, feeling even more dejected than she had at her master's lack of concern about Dooku. Then, she perked up a bit as a thought occurred to her.

"I never gave you my mother's last name, did I?"

"No, you did not."

"It's Peredhil – Anwyn Peredhil."

"Familiar, that name sounds. Perhaps know your mother I do," there was a pause and then Yoda's face showed an expression of recognition.

"Yes, know your mother I did. Known as Tahl Peredhil she was."

Ok, how many times do I have to say it? – Review, Review, Review! I'd also like to give a shout out to the people from the yahoo group Jedi-Apprentice who helped me out with a few pieces of info I needed for this chapter.


	5. Talking, Thinking, and Dueling

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Sorry it took so long to update, but schools been crazy lately and now finals are comin up. And I wanna give a shout-out to Cassandra Halfelven, Calliope Foster, and Night of the Land for reviewing. I'm glad you guys like it!

Ch. 5: Talking, Thinking, and Dueling

"You knew my mother?" Airiana repeated, not quite believing what she heard.

"Knew your mother I did. A great Jedi Knight she was."

Airiana's mind was racing; there were so many questions she wanted answered, so much she wanted to hear and learn. At the same time everything felt unreal. She had never imagined finding out about her mother would be so simple. Why hadn't she ever asked Master Yoda about her before? – The thought had simply never occurred to her. It seemed like that time and this time were a lot farther away than they really were. How could so much change in only 20-some years? Well, it didn't matter now. All she knew was that she wasn't in that time and needed to let everything settle in.

She looked back up at Master Yoda, "Thank-you … for everything," she hesitated before asking, "Could you tell me about her sometime, when you're not busy?"

"Busy now I am not," replied her Master kindly.

"No, I can't. I wasn't expecting this. I need time to let it sink in."

Yoda nodded in understanding, "Very well. Talk when you are ready, we will."

"Thanks."

Airiana gave a deep bow to her Master and walked out of the room.

Yoda stood where he was for a few moments thoughtfully looking at the door. He could feel the bond she shared with his future self; it was strong. He had let himself get drawn into it. Oh well, it wasn't hurting anything. In fact, the more he spoke with Airiana the more he enjoyed her company and the bond, it seemed, they now shared. She wasn't like the rest of Jedi he knew, she was…warmer, not quite so formal; it was refreshing to be around her.

As much as Yoda enjoyed the presence of their bond, he could not imagine what would possess him to take on an apprentice at such an age. He knew he was getting quite old now, and who knew how old he was going to be when he began training her. Something must have happened. This worried him a little – he could feel the dark side growing and wondered if the Sith had anything to do with his taking on an apprentice. But that was enough of worrying about the future for now. After all, he only believed in being mindful of the future, not dwelling on it. As he turned back to the room a playful smile lit up his features, "Not _so_ old am I that train a padawan I cannot."

After leaving her Master Airiana wandered through the halls of the temple eventually coming to the Room of a Thousand Fountains; she walked aimlessly down the paths coming to a bench near one of the larger fountains. She sat down and watched the water trickle down the stones as she tried to concentrate on all that happened within the last few days. After almost ten minutes she gave up. She was too stressed out to think. Hoping to get away for a little bit she decided to go see what Obi-wan was up to.

Airiana stood in front of Obi-wan's door and knocked.

"Come in," he answered.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Oh, hello Airiana. How are your new quarters?"

"Good," she pause then said, "So, what're ya doin?"

"Finishing an official report for the council about our last mission."

"Sounds like fun," Airiana said sarcastically. "Where's Ani?"

"At classes."

"Oh. Are you done soon?"

"Yes, thankfully."

"Groovy."

"Groovy?" Obi-wan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You've never heard anybody say 'groovy' before?" Airiana asked with a look of disbelief on her face.

"I can't say that I have."

"Ay, ay, ay. What is the world coming to?"

Obi-wan simply shook his head slightly and turned back to his report.

The two of them sat in silence for awhile, Obi-wan working and Airiana lost in thought – not thinking about anything in particular, just letting her mind wander.

She was starting to get hungry – she could use a snack. What did she want? Little Debbies sounded good, especially Swiss Rolls – or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups! Mmmm – she could just _taste_ 'em. Why was it she always got hungry for Earth food when she was here and got hungry for this food when she was on Earth? Whenever she couldn't get something, that's when she wanted it. 'I waaant you to want me, I neeeed you to need me. I'd love you to love me, I'm begin' you to beg me … Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I see you cryin. Ooh, didn't I, didn't I, didn't see you cryin.' She loved that song; it was stuck in her head and kept playing over and over again as she thought about other things. She wished she had her laptop here – then she'd be able to play Cheaptrick. Anakin and Obi-wan could listen to it! That would be awesome! She really needed to keep her computer and cd's with her at all times, then she could bring them with her. Next time she goes back to Earth, she'll have to do that, if she remembers – probably won't.

"What _is_ that?" Obi-wan asked all of a sudden, looking around the quarters.

"What's what?" Airiana said her eyebrows furrowed.

"That noise. I think it's music of some sort, but I'm not sure – I could barely hear it."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Well…it seems to have stopped now anyway."

"Oh. Are you done yet?"

"Just about," he answered while writing the last sentence. "Now all I need to do is edit, but that can wait for later."

"So now what're ya gonna do?"

"Relax," Obi-wan said with a sigh.

"Ya wanna relax by sparring?"

"Of course."

When they reached the sparring room Airiana went over to the rack of lightsabers. She picked one at random and twirled it around in her hand – too big. The next one wasn't big enough. She tried two more before finding one she was satisfied with.

While Airiana chose her lightsaber, Obi-wan turned his on low and started to warm-up. He saw her walk toward him and was about to give her the basics of lightsaber combat, but before he got the chance a blue blade shot out of her saber as she began her warm-up.

Obi-wan was surprised at how natural using a lightsaber seemed to come to Airiana. Of course, he knew that she could sword fight, but her sword seemed to be a bit heavier than a lightsaber and he was sure the style would be quite different too. Yet, from watching her warm-up, Obi-wan could tell she knew what she was doing and wasn't entirely new to using a lightsaber. Once again he found himself wondering about her. Had she been trained in the ways of the Jedi? – If so, by whom? Certainly not any of the masters he knew. Could it be possible that she's a Sith? – No, of course not. Even the most powerful of Sith Masters couldn't be powerful enough to completely mask their true intentions – surely the council members would feel it. And she _had_ spoken to Master Yoda. What had they spoken of? Whatever it was Yoda must have felt he could trust her or he wouldn't have allowed her to have her own quarters.

"Ready?" Obi-wan seemed not to hear Airiana. "Yoohoo, Obi-waaan?"

"Yes?" he asked snapping out of his thoughts.

"Are you finished visiting la-la land?"

"What?" Obi-wan asked with his forehead scrunched-up.

"Nevermind. Are you ready to spar?"

"Oh – yes, of course."

"Good."

With that they moved toward the middle of the room, bowed to one another, and got into their starting positions. Airiana knew from experience that Obi-wan never made the first move – it would have to be up to her. She sized him up. He was going to be stronger and faster than Ben, but with less experience dueling against her – that was definitely an advantage. She doubted Ben's style had changed much over the years, so she pretty much knew what to expect from Obi-wan. Overall, she figured she could take him, but it would be tough.

As she had been strategizing, they had been slowly circling each other. After a few more seconds she made her move. It was a low swing aimed at his abdomen. He went to block it, but at the last moment she somersaulted over him aiming at his head – he nearly missed the block. He recovered quickly; though, and as she landed he put her on the defensive.

The strokes of his lightsaber were swift and tight. Airiana had a difficult time trying to block all of them and got hit on her arm. After that she figured it was time to switch things up a bit – it was time to change style.

So far she had kept to the Jedi style of fighting, but now she began fighting in the style she usually fought with – a combination of every style of self-defense/sword fighting she had ever learned. She ducked under Obi-wan's lightsaber and twisted around to his other side, making some space. It gave her just enough time to go back on the offensive.

Her change in style had just the effect she hoped it would – Obi-wan had been taken by surprise. He scrambled around to block her swings and kicks, eventually falling behind and being struck on the leg. Airiana took a few steps back, giving both of them some time to catch their breaths. When they had, they once again faced off. This time it was Airiana's turn to be surprised – Obi-wan actually charged first. It appeared that this Obi-wan _did_ have a few tricks up his sleeve.

They continued on – slashing, jabbing, parrying, blocking, twisting, flipping. Neither one wanted to give-up. Both were tiring. Obi-wan had adjusted to Airiana's new style and had begun to take the upper hand. Airiana was not to be underestimated, however. She was stubborn and had a determination that could rival anybody's. She dived into the force and let its current take her. She no longer thought or saw, only felt.

Obi-wan found himself losing ground; he needed to get back on the offensive, but his mind was drawing a blank on how to do that. He couldn't keep up this pace much longer; his muscles were screaming for oxygen.

Airiana's strikes only came faster as she dove further and further into the force. She struck high then low catching Obi-wan on the side. He lost his focus. Airiana knocked him on his back and had her lightsaber at his throat before his brain had time to react.

Airiana opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She hadn't even realized her eyes were closed; they were right in line with Obi-wan's. They stared at each other for a few moments before Airiana turned off her lightsaber and sat back; she was exhausted now that she had loosened her hold on the force. Obi-wan sat up also, still trying to catch his breath.

"What – was that?" he asked raggedly.

"What was what?" Airiana asked back, taking deep breaths.

"_That_ – what you just did. The last time I fought someone with such speed was when I … fought the Sith on Naboo."

Airiana took a moment to answer, "I don't know. I wasn't thinking. I let the force guide me."

After another minute Airiana fell back, sprawling herself out on the floor. Then, with a sigh she said, "That felt good; I needed that."

Obi-wan simply smiled and shook his head.


	6. The Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Sorry it took so long to update. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten and I'm glad everyone is still enjoying it. Don't forget to keep reviewing – it really inspires me to write a bit faster and stay focused! I'd also like to say now that I WILL finish this fic. There may be times when I'm really busy and don't get to update as much as I'd like to (like this time), so please be patient and hang in there cuz I WILL FINISH! And a little side note: Daílayana is pronounced Die-lay-na.

Ch. 6: The Mission 

After the duel Airiana went back to her quarters for a nice long shower. Her mind felt clearer and she was more relaxed than she had been since her arrival. She stepped in and let the hot water run over her, washing away the outside world. She once again found herself thinking of all that had happened and all that she had found out since her arrival. She had so many questions that she had wanted answers to, but it seemed that the more answers she got, the more questions she had. She found herself wondering about her father more and more too. Now that she was with people who could have known her mother, she wondered if any would know her father also, assuming he was a Jedi, of course. For some reason she had always pictured him as one, but there was no basis for this belief.

Airiana sighed. Why did things have to be so difficult all the time? Oh well, she'd just have be patient. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Yeah, right. She didn't even know why she was here in the first place. Was it to stop Anakin from becoming Vader? Maybe it was to stop Palpatine from becoming Emperor. Was it both? What else was there? Stop Luke and Leia's mother from dying? Somehow she didn't think that was it, but if she could that would be nice. Maybe she wasn't supposed to do anything. But then why was she here?

She sighed again, louder this time. There was nothing she could do but wait; wait and trust in the force. With another sigh she ran her hands over her hair, smoothing it down; her hands were water-logged and the bathroom was full of steam. Airiana reluctantly turned the water off and stepped out.

When she returned to the living room she noticed that there was a message on her comm unit. It was Master Windu; the council had decided to send her on a mission with Obi-wan and Anakin. The mission statement and other information had been sent to her and she was told to be ready to leave by tomorrow afternoon. Airiana was also informed that this mission would be a trial of sorts. Since she had obviously been trained, but not at the Jedi Temple, no one knew who her master was, and she was so young to have been knighted, her actions and decisions would be monitored by Obi-wan. He would then report to the Council whether or not he felt that Airiana could be trusted to be a Jedi Knight. "Wonderful," she muttered.

As she began downloading the information she needed onto a data pad, her eyes came to rest on her sword. She would need a lightsaber if she was going on this mission. Either she would have to borrow one or go back and get her own. She liked her lightsaber and didn't relish the thought of using one that she wasn't used to. Her mind was made up. Hearing a soft bing from the comm unit, Airiana looked back down; the data pads were finished, so she set them aside then stepped back. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and concentrated on where she needed to go.

She felt it take her, slowly at first as though she was slipping out of time's hand. Then, without warning, she let go and was falling through time. A few seconds later she felt herself slowing down and then stop just as quickly as she had begun. Airiana opened her eyes; she was standing in the kitchen at her house back on Earth. She took a walk around the house to make sure everything was alright then, satisfied, she went upstairs to her bedroom to retrieve her lightsaber. While she was unlocking the case she kept it in, she looked around at her room and saw a few other things she wanted to take back with her; her computer, her cd's, a few books, and some clothing. She clipped her lightsaber to her belt and got the other things together. She took one last look around her room to make sure she had everything she wanted, then closed her eyes once more and was gone.

After putting her stuff away, Airiana decided to look over the information she had been given regarding her mission. She would be heading to a planet named Taroga, a temperate planet covered with forests. The inhabitants were mostly tree-dwellers, building their homes among the branches. They reminded Airiana of apes actually, being only four to five feet tall with long arms, feet that looked more like hands, a button nose, and big eyes. They didn't have a tail or lots of hair, though.

Moving on she saw that the ruling body was not comprised of a single person, but an entire family which was elected every one hundred years. This year had been an election year. There were only two candidates; the Takanya family and the Nacoma family. Both were very popular and the election had been heated. The Nacoma family had won by only a couple hundred votes.

Needless to say, the Takanya supporters weren't pleased by the results. Some of the supporters had organized protests, demanding a re-vote. Some of the protests had turned into riots; property was damaged and citizens were injured. In the last protest, a few people were even killed.

With the growing violence, the current reigning family, the Zamátee's, were worried something would happen at the official ceremony commemorating the passing of leadership to the Nacoma family. The Jedi's presence had been requested to deter Takanya supporters from causing any trouble.

Checking the clock, Airiana saw that it was later than she thought; she knew she shouldn't stay up much later, but she wasn't ready to go to bed just yet. Remembering she had brought some books back, she decided she'd read until she felt tired enough for sleeping.

As she was pulling out _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,_ three other books caught her eye – _The Lord of the Rings._ Airiana was probably one of the only people who knew they weren't fiction. She didn't know how they had survived almost perfectly intact through all those years, but she was never more glad they did than she was now. Maybe if Yoda read them, he'd see how much of a danger Saruman was and how important it was to act now. The only problem was she'd either have to translate it or Yoda would have to learn how to read 'Earthling'. She didn't really look forward to translating all three books, so Yoda would have to learn to read – if he was willing.

Oh well, that would have to wait until after her mission. She looked at the clock again; she really needed to get to bed, but she also had to read or she'd never fall asleep. She opened up _Harry Potter_ and after only a chapter, her eyes were tired and she turned out the lights.

The next morning went by without any problems, as did the takeoff. A few hours later, they stepped off the ship. The landing pad was located in a clearing, with the actual landing platform raised off the ground so that it was in line with the houses of the natives. Across a wide wooden bridge, the members of the Zamátee family were waiting for them. There was Daílayna, the oldest member of the family, and therefore the head of the household, and then there was her son, his wife, and their two children. Daílayna stepped forward to welcome them.

Airiana examined Daílayna closely as she introduced herself and her family. She was just over four feet tall, but looked smaller. She used a cane to help walk, yet she stood straight and proud with her head held high. She studied each of the Jedi carefully. Airiana could tell that whatever this woman lacked in physical strength she made up for in mental strength; there was a flicker in her eyes that told of the fire in her mind.

When the introductions were over Doña Daílayna said, "My grandson will show you to your rooms. When you are settled he will show you to my study so that we may discuss the situation." She smiled warmly then turned away.

Everyone followed her except her grandson, who now stepped forward. He was young, probably in his early twenties. He smiled as he said, "My name is Tomálo, as my grandmother already told you. If you'll please follow me I'll show you to your rooms." After a few steps he said, "I'll be your guide while your here, so if you need anything at all, you need only to ask."

As she followed Tomálo, Airiana looked around her. The trees she was walking through were some of the tallest, windiest, heaviest, most alive looking trees she had ever seen. Every tree in the forest looked as though it had started off as a few saplings growing close together and that as they grew, they slowly entwined and hugged themselves into one large, twisted tree; even the branches seemed to snake along one another.

The leaves reminded Airiana of giant maple leaves, except these had rounder edges to them and seemed to be much thinner; instead of casting shadows where the sun hit them, they allowed the light to filter through, casting a green haze on everything below. When the bright sun did manage to fight through the layers of leaves, it fell down in long, thin streams and speckled the houses and walkways. As a calm, steady breeze played lazily with the giant leaves above them, it seemed as though the green haze and bright light were dancing to a slow, gentle serenade.

Nestled in between the branches and leaves were wooden houses. The color of the boards were not the usual woody color as they were on Earth, but the lightest shade of rose pink or blush champagne. Some trees held as many as five houses, starting near the lower branches and working their way up and around the trees. Most of the houses were quite plain, but some had ornate carvings on them picturing native animals, especially birds, nestled within vines of leaves and branches. Others seemed to have local legends or family histories depicted on them. All the houses and trees were connected by weaving wooden walkways and bridges. In larger areas where trees had fallen or there was a small clearing, great square platforms with carved railings had been built for gatherings.

After ascending three sets of steps, Tomálo opened a door, gave the key to Obi-wan, and left. The Jedi stepped in. The cabin smelled of fresh-cut wood, but wasn't overpowering; it was a softer, lighter smell that reminded Airiana more of the scent flowers than of trees.

Looking around, she saw they were in a small sitting room that contained a small table with four chairs, a desk, and two sofas. Everything was wooden and the same color as the outside of the cabins.

Straight ahead of the entrance door was a wall with two doors in the middle of it. Airiana walked over to right door and opened it. She was surprised to find herself facing another wall. Turning to her right she found that the room opened up after about three feet. She walked into the middle of the room and looked around. On the inside wall was another door. She opened it up and saw that it was the bathroom, which she guessed was shared between the room she was in now and the room on the left side of the house. Shutting the door, she turned around. A large bed was on the opposite wall in the corner and a chest was at the end of it. There was also a rocking chair in one of the other corners. Overall Airiana thought it was very comfortable looking. It even reminded her of a bedroom she would find in some small cabin by a lake somewhere.

Airiana threw her backpack on the bed and headed back out to the sitting room. Obi-wan and Anakin were waiting. A few moments later there was a knock on the door; Tomálo had arrived to take them down to Daílayna's study.

"Welcome. Please, please take a seat." Daílayna said motioning toward three chairs in front of her desk. "I hope you find your lodgings suitable?"

"Yes, quite suitable, thank-you," replied Obi-wan with a polite smile.

"Good, good…well then, why don't we get down to business? As your council has probably informed you, a new family is about to come to power and there has been some opposition. As the Staff Changing Ceremony draws nearer more and more violence has been breaking out," she gave a tired sigh then continued, "I wish your presence here was not needed, but we have no army on Taroga and there aren't enough royal guards to stop a riot if, Force forbid, such a thing should occur. In order to assist you in deterring any troublemakers, I am giving you complete control over the royal guard; they will follow your commands during the rest of your stay here. You also have free reign to travel anywhere you like. My grandson will escort you or give you directions to wherever it is you wish to go. I believe that covers everything, then. Are there any questions?"

Obi-wan glanced over at Anakin then Airiana then said, "No, I believe you explained everything for us. Thank-you for your time; we'll do everything in our power to insure the safety of your citizens at the ceremony."

"No, thank-you Master Jedi; my family and I will be glad to help you in any way we can. Tomálo," Daílayna called and moment later her grandson opened the door, "please introduce the Jedi to Captain Namana for me."

"Yes, Grandmother. If you'll follow me please?"

Obi-wan, Anakin, and Airiana bowed low to Doña Daílayna and followed Tomálo out of the room.


	7. The Eye

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Ch. 7: The Eye 

During the meeting with Captain Namana, it was Airiana who did most of the talking; from this time on she was in charge of the mission. She had asked questions about the guards; how many there were, what kinds of training they had, how many were usually at events such as these, and so on. After the meeting, Airiana visited the public square where the ceremony was to be held. By the time she went to bed, everything was planned.

Airiana spent the next day informing Doña Daílayna and the captain of her plans and preparing the guards, and the public square. She also met with both the Nacoma and Takanya families in order to inform them what was going on. As the day drew to a close, Airiana kept checking and double-checking that everything was in place and that everyone knew what to do.

The ceremony went smoothly with only a few rowdy citizens in the crowd who were quickly subdued. After the ceremony the new reigning family had invited the Jedi to their reception ball as guests of honor. The ball was to be held the next evening, and though it meant staying on Taroga an extra day, Airiana accepted the invitation to the dismay of both Obi-wan and Anakin.

When Daílayna had heard that the Jedi would be attending the reception she took Airiana to her dressmaker saying that Airiana couldn't possibly go to the reception in her Jedi robes, especially since she was a guest of honor. Airiana allowed the Doña to lead her; she enjoyed being a bit girly every now and then and felt that she deserved to be pampered a bit after her first successful mission. That afternoon the dressmaker took the measurements she needed and set to work.

After eating a light supper, Obi-wan, Anakin, and Airiana spent a quiet evening walking through the trees, talking, playing cards (Airiana always carried a deck with her), and reading. As she closed her eyes after crawling into bed, she couldn't help but think how well the mission had gone and how well things were going between her and the other two Jedi; Anakin and her had quickly fallen into the roles of siblings – teasing, bickering, joking, and laughing – while her and Obi-wan were on their way to becoming just as close of friends as her and Ben were. On top of this, her mission had been a success and Obi-wan was going to recommend to the council that she be given the full privileges of a Jedi Knight.

Airiana awoke the next morning to a low growl of thunder moving across the sky. Slowly rising, she made her way out to the common room. Obi-wan and Anakin were already awake, meditating. Airiana joined them.

As she closed her eyes she heard another grumble of thunder and a burst of wind move through the boughs. The weather was making her restless and she couldn't relax herself. She felt as though something was lurking around the forest, bringing with it something darker than the black clouds overhead. Only once before had she felt this way.

Airiana spent the rest of the day in a trance-like state, focusing on the dark clouds, rolls of thunder, and silent winds. Sometime in the late afternoon someone had come for her so she could get ready for the reception ball; she didn't notice that the dress she wore was deep green – complementing her tan skin, dark eyes, and dark hair perfectly – that it left one shoulder bare, had a low, loose back, and ended at the floor, gliding around her as she walked. Her hair had been pulled up and curled and jewelry had been put around her neck and in her ears; with the color of the dress, the jewelry, and her dark complexion Airiana looked like an Amazon queen.

Airiana arrived at the reception with Obi-wan and Anakin. She smiled, shook hands, and even managed some small talk, but most of the evening was spent away from the crowd on a small balcony, lost in thought as the thunder continued to growl at the tree-tops. A little after midnight she was able to make her escape.

As the Jedi were climbing the stairs of their cabin, a bridge of lightning united two clouds. Airiana looked up. In the flash of light she saw a black, hooded figure riding a great, flying beast. Just as the flash went out and the figure disappeared she heard a blood curdling scream that chilled her heart and froze her soul.

"What's wrong?" Asked Obi-wan from above, noticing Airiana had stopped.

She jerked her head away from the spot where she had seen the hooded being and looked up at Obi-wan with a white face and dark eyes that darted between him and Anakin. "Didn't you…" She was going to ask if they heard it, but they obviously didn't; people don't look so calm and collected after hearing the scream of a ring-wraith.

Shaking her head to try and get the shattering scream out of her mind she said, "Nevermind," and continued up the steps.

A few minutes later Airiana was in the bathroom slowly removing her jewelry. She was looking at the mirror in front of her, but wasn't focusing on it. There was a knock on the door; she responded to it with a distracted "Mmmm?"

Obi-wan entered. Airiana was very pale indeed and her eyes seemed glazed over as if she was looking in rather than out.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Mmmhhmm," she responded quietly while taking out one of the pins that had kept her hair in place.

"Airiana," he said more forcefully as he put his hand on her arm. She jumped slightly at the contact and turned to him as if she had just noticed his presence. "What's wrong?" he asked again in a tone that demanded an answer.

She looked into his eyes then abruptly turned back to the mirror, "Nothing."

"Yes there is and I'd like to know what."

Taking out the last pin Airiana replied in a monotone voice, "Just the weather I guess," and walked into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Two hours later the storm broke. The wind tore through the trees, sounding like waves breaking upon the shore; louder as a gust of wind crashed against the massive trunks and branches then ebbing away until the next strong gust. Lightning flashes filled the sky, creating bizarre snapshots of blowing leaves and bending branches. The thunder was no longer a low growl, but a chaotic line of cannons going off right above the tree-tops.

Airiana lay in bed, wrestling with the sheets in a restless sleep. She saw Middle Earth being covered by a shroud of black clouds, ring-wraiths swirling above her, screaming. She tried to block out the sound, but couldn't; no matter how hard she pushed her hands against her ears, or how far she ran from them, she could still hear their shrill cries. With no where to go and nothing she could do, Airiana felt helpless and frightened. She laid down on the ground, eyes closed, knees pulled toward her chest, and hands covering her ears in the vain hope she could silence the deathly shrieks.

Just as Airiana felt she could take no more, the screams stopped. Fearing they would return Airiana stayed still, but her curiosity overcame her and she cautiously opened her eyes. What she saw made her slam them shut again, but it was no use; she couldn't get the fiery eye of the Enemy out of her sight.

The Eye of Sauron burned brighter than ever and was looking straight at her. She had no choice but to stare right back at it. As she watched it, it began moving away from her; zipping through the air in a straight line as if it were being pulled by an invisible string from behind. She ran after it, but it never got closer; it didn't get farther away either. Suddenly the scenery changed and Airiana noticed she was no longer in Middle Earth, but on Coruscant.

Her perspective changed now too. She now saw things as if watching them on tv or in a movie with angles and distances that allowed her to see the best views of the action. What she saw was the burning eye moving toward a man standing on the tallest spire of the Jedi Temple. The eye reached the man and merged with him through his left eye, emitting a spectacular flash of light that blinded Airiana for a few moments. When she had regained her sight, Airiana saw that the Jedi Temple had burst into flames, shadowing the man in smoke. She watched on in horror, trying to get a glimpse of the man. An opening in the smoke appeared – she saw the triumphant, laughing face of Palpatine.

Airiana awoke screaming and drenched in sweat. The storm was still howling outside and the cabin creaked and groaned with the wind. Obi-wan and Anakin to come charging into to her room, lightsabers in hand.

Airiana looked up at them with wide, terrified eyes. By the flashes of lightning they could see her face was deathly pale and that she was shaking violently. Thinking she was ill, Obi-wan went over to her, sat on the bed, and put his hand to her forehead to check for fever, while ordering Anakin to go get a glass of water and a damp towel.

Brushing some hair out of her face and continuing to feel Airiana's cheeks and forehead for any signs of illness, Obi-wan quietly asked her if she was feeling alright, but she couldn't answer. How could she tell him what she had just seen? She knew now that it wasn't a dream, but a vision. How could she tell him? The feeling of fear and helplessness that she had felt in the vision came back to her, along with a thousand memories she had tried to forget, and she could no longer control the emotions that were raging inside of her. She lost control.

Obi-wan was at a loss for what to do; he wasn't used to dealing with emotional breakdowns like this. Going on instinct, he pulled Airiana toward him and wrapped his arms around her; gently rocking her back and forth, rubbing her back, and simply letting her cry.

After about twenty minutes Airiana finally began to calm down. She was no longer crying uncontrollably and had managed to reel in some of her emotions.

After a few more minutes, Obi-wan gently pulled himself away from her. She kept her eyes down, so he put his fingers underneath her chin and tilted her head upwards, so she would look him in the eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Not trusting herself to speak, Airiana only nodded. Unconvinced, Obi-wan asked if she was sure; she nodded again. He still didn't believe her, but could do nothing more unless she told him what was bothering her.

As Airiana got back in bed, Obi-wan bent down and put his hand to her forehead once more. A few seconds later she was fast asleep. Obi-wan turned away and noticed Anakin standing in the bathroom doorway, holding the glass of water and towel with a stunned expression on his face. Anakin gave him a questioning look. Obi-wan replied by tiredly patting Anakin on the shoulder as he walked by. Anakin watched him go then quietly walked into the room, placed the glass of water on a small nightstand, and stole one last worried look at Airiana before going back to bed.


	8. The Family Tree

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Author's Note: Sorry about any confusion, but Airiana was not Frodo in a past life or anything like that. In this story she was one of the fellowship, alongside Frodo.

Ch 8: The Family Tree

The next morning Airiana was the first to awake. The vision was lingering in her mind and weighed her down. Feeling stifled in the small cabin, she fled outside and took a few deep breaths of the morning air. As she looked around she saw the sun sneaking out from behind the last of the dark clouds making her feel a little lighter.

On a whim Airiana leaped up into the tree, grabbing hold of a branch and swinging herself onto it. She looked up and saw that the branches were nestled close together and that climbing would be fairly easy; she climbed until she could no longer see the cabin, then sat down on a branch, swung her legs on either side of it, leaned back on the trunk, and closed her eyes.

Airiana felt the trees around her, more than she had ever felt them anywhere else; they seemed more alive here. She saw the branches slowly stretching their way to the sky and the roots lazily drink up the water from the ground then painstakingly suck and pull it up the length of the trunk all the way to the tip of the tallest branch. She almost heard the slow and steady breaths as the leaves took in the carbon dioxide from the air and let out the oxygen. Airiana also heard the trees talk; whispering to each other with every passing breeze, every turn of the leaf, or bend of the branch. They talked slowly in a language accustomed to the slow movement of time. Each had its own voice, its own story to tell, and its own wisdom to give.

Airiana listened to the slow, steady murmurings of the forest and thought of Treebeard and the Ents, finally understanding them. She could have stayed there forever and simply listened to the trees talking, but was rudely torn away from them by the sound of a different voice wondering where she was and telling her that it was soon time to leave. Opening her eyes, Airiana took one last, longing look at the ancient trees then began to regretfully climb down. Skipping the last few branches, Airiana landed stealthily behind Obi-wan.

"There you are," he said turning around. "Feeling better?"

"I am," answered Airiana with a slight smile.

"Good. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah, I'll go get my things." And she turned to go inside.

An hour later the three Jedi were in a cruiser heading back to Coruscant; Anakin was in the cockpit chatting with the pilot and Airiana was meditating. Obi-wan was attempting to work on the mission report, but with little success. His thoughts kept returning to the night before. He couldn't figure out what would have thrown Airiana into such an emotional fit; she didn't seem like the type of person to react so emotionally to simple nightmares and the like. Whatever had caused it must have been very unnerving. He knew he needed to talk to her about it and since he probably wouldn't be able to get anything done until he did, he figured now was as good a time as any. Obi-wan put the report down and made his way to Airiana's cabin.

Obi-wan knocked lightly on the door; no one answered. He knocked louder, but still, Airiana didn't answer. Beginning to be slightly worried, he opened the door and walked in. He gave a sigh of relief; Airiana was sitting on the floor, deep in meditation. Not wanting to interrupt her, Obi-wan quietly turned to leave.

"Don't go – your presence is comforting," Airiana said in almost a whisper.

"I didn't mean to disturb you," replied Obi-wan just as quietly.

Airiana opened her eyes and stood up, "You came to talk to me about last night, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did."

Airiana paused. Now would be the perfect time to tell Obi-wan the truth about herself, but should she? Yoda had told her not to, but she wanted to tell Obi-wan so badly. But she wasn't sure how he'd react or what the consequences would be; that's what she had been meditating on. While meditating the Force had been of little help, revealing almost nothing to her; she would have to make the decision herself. What would happen if she told him? Would it change things for the better or for the worse? She knew the future was painful and violent, but she couldn't possibly live with herself if it ended up being worse because of what she did now. She made her decision; there was too much she didn't know, now wasn't the time.

"What do you want to know?"

"What upset you so much last night?"

Airiana took a deep breath, "A couple of years ago I was involved in a war. The enemy we fought against was a dark lord with great powers. He was destroyed for what we thought was all time. Last night I had a vision. The Dark Lord has been reborn and although he may not be as powerful as he once was, he is still more powerful than anyone can imagine. I know what I saw was a vision and not a nightmare – finding out he's back…it just shocked me, brought back horrible memories I've been trying to forget. I suppose I haven't gotten over the things I've seen as much as I thought I had."

"That's understandable, of course," he paused then added, "If you'd ever like to talk about it, I'm here."

"Thanks."

Obi-wan left feeling more disturbed than he had before. The feeling that Airiana was hiding something had never gone away, he had just gotten used to it. It now came back stronger than ever. There had to be more than she was letting on to, he just had to find out what it was. She said about a war and a dark lord. Well, there was always some kind of war going on somewhere; the galaxy was very large, after all. And a dark lord? Impossible. Try as he might Obi-wan couldn't find a way into Airiana's past.

Two days later Airiana officially became a Jedi Knight. The Council had reviewed the mission report from Taroga and had listened to Obi-wan's recommendation. After a little debate, they had finally agreed to name her a Jedi Knight.

Obi-wan had mentioned nothing about Airiana's vision in the report he gave the Council and she was thankful for that. So far she had not spoken to Master Yoda about it and she didn't think she was going to. She just didn't see the point; he hadn't taken her very seriously when she told him about Dooku, so what would make him take her seriously when it came to Palpatine? And besides, even if he did there was nothing they could do at the moment. The only thing he would have to go on was her word and that wouldn't be enough in any kind of court or even for the public, for that matter. Most people still denied the existence of the Sith. Before Airiana could do anything she needed hard proof that Palpatine was, in fact, a Sith Lord, so she put it in the back of her mind.

Airiana quickly found out that being a Jedi Knight in this time was completely different from what both Master Yoda and Ben had led her to believe. She was away from the Temple more than she was at it and she didn't have much free time. Most of the missions were strictly diplomatic – no action of any kind and very boring. Thankfully, some not always went as planned. She did these kinds of missions with a fairly high success rate for about three months before getting sick of them and requesting more exciting missions. The Council was a little concerned about Airiana's eagerness to seek danger, but they could find no other reason to deny her request.

It was after a few minor injuries after her last mission five months later one that Airiana was talking to Obi-wan in his common room. Anakin had just left to go sparring with a friend of his and Airiana was trying to convince Obi-wan to go out to eat somewhere.

"C'mon, I've been cooped-up in the healer's wing for a week; I need to get outta this place for a little bit. Please?" she said making a puppy face.

"Alright, fine; we'll go somewhere. Just stop making that ridiculous face," he said with a smile as he got up to get some money from his bedroom, since he knew he'd be paying for supper.

Airiana got up and followed him. She was about to come back with a smart ass comment, but the photos in his room caught her attention. He only had a few and they were mostly of him, his friends, and his master. One in particular caught her attention. It was of a thirteen year-old Obi-wan and Bant, their masters standing behind them. It was the first time she had seen what Obi-wan's master had looked like and she studied him, along with the youngest version of Obi-wan she had seen yet.

Noticing what she was looking at, Obi-wan came over and stood behind her, also looking at the picture, "That was taken a few weeks after I became Qui-gon's apprentice and only a few days after Bant became Master Tahl's."

"Master…Tahl?" Airiana asked, thinking she hadn't heard him right.

"Yes, Master Tahl Peredhil."

Airiana stared wide-eyed at the woman in the picture; she had long brown hair, dark eyes, and pointed ears. There was no doubt in her mind that this was her mother. She could see the resemblance not only to herself, but also to her grandfather, Elrond, her uncles, and especially her aunt, Arwen.

"Is something wrong?" Obi-wan asked at seeing Airiana's intense look.

Airiana smiled, "No, everything's fine; I just never saw a picture of my mother before." At Obi-wan's confused stare she pointed to the picture and said, "That's my mother. Tahl Peredhil was my mother."

"You're positive she's your mother?" asked Obi-wan, still confused.

"Yes, I'm positive; _that's _my mother."

"Airiana," Obi-wan said gently, not wanting to disappoint her, "Tahl can't be your mother. She died about three years before you were even born."

But instead of the crestfallen face, angry denial, and/or downpour of tears he expected, Obi-wan was completely taken aback when Airiana started giggling uncontrollably as if she had just heard some sort of reference to an inside joke that only she knew.

"Is there something I missed?" Obi-wan asked, half amused and half annoyed.

Catching her breath, Airiana answered, "If you only knew."

Obi-wan left the subject drop for the time being. Airiana had turned her attention away from the picture and back to supper.

The ride to the restaurant they went to was a quiet one; after leaving the Temple, Airiana had become subdued; she was planning on how to extract information about her mother from Obi-wan. By the time they reached the restaurant she had her plan. She waited until after ordering their meals before speaking.

"So, how well did you know my mother?"

Obi-wan frowned a bit, "Airiana, Tahl wasn't your mother."

"Yeah she was," Airiana replied confidently then, "Look, I know it seems impossible, but it _is_ possible and she _is_ my mother. You have to trust me on this," she finished with an imploring look.

Obi-wan stared at her intensely for a few seconds then sighed and said, "I do trust you and I feel the truth in what you say, but…I don't understand it."

"I don't expect you to. But can you tell me about my mother anyway?"

"Of course," answered Obi-wan smiling.

For the rest of the dinner Obi-wan talked about everything he could remember about Tahl; his own experiences with her, stories Qui-gon had told him about the two of the them as initiates, padawans, and Knights, and things Bant had told him about the brief time she had been apprenticed to her. He had even spoken about Tahl's death, though reluctantly; it was painful memory for him and he wasn't sure how Airiana would take it, but he had gotten through it and Airiana had taken it well.

By the time Obi-wan and Airiana got back to the Temple it was late; the halls were quiet and the lights had been dimmed. Neither of them were very tired though and Airiana wanted to hear more about her mother so she went back to Obi-wan and Anakin's rooms; the lights were off and Anakin was already fast asleep in his room.

They passed a few moments in comfortable silence, taking a few sips from the drinks Obi-wan had gotten them. While sipping her water Airiana was debating if she wanted to ask Obi-wan a question that had been at the back of her mind all night. She finally made up her mind, figuring it would be easier to ask now and if she didn't she'd probably regret it.

"Obi-wan," she said quietly, "do you have any idea who my father might be?"

Obi-wan sighed heavily and looked down at his glass. He stayed that way for some time. Beginning to think he hadn't heard her, Airiana repeated his name. He sighed again, straightened out, and looked her in the eyes.

"Airiana…"

"You know who he is, don't you?"

"Since you told me that Tahl was your mother I have had an idea who your father may be, but I was hoping you wouldn't ask."

"I'd really appreciate it if you told me."

"Very well," he sighed again, took a few moments to collect himself then said, "I think your father was Qui-gon."


	9. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

A/N: Wow, it's been awhile since I updated last. This chapter is a bit smaller, but I thought where I ended it was a perfect place, so that's where I ended it. Also, I know there are a lot of grammar mistakes, but you'll have to bear with me because grammar is my weakest point. (If you have any helpful hints that would be great!) And remember, keep reviewing!

_Things in italics are thoughts._

Ch 9: The Beginning of the End 

Airiana stared blankly at Obi-wan for a few seconds as she let the information sink in. She then let out a sigh of relief at finally knowing who her father was and asked Obi-wan why he thought Qui-gon was her father.

"Qui-gon and Tahl had always been close friends. It devastated him when she died," he paused then added, "Actually, it doesn't surprise me much that they had you. My master always did have a habit of breaking rules."

This made Airiana smile. "I wish I would have known him."

"You would have gotten along well with him."

After a few moments of companionable silence Airiana said, "Thank-you for telling me everything."

"Of course," Obi-wan answered with a smile and a nod.

"Well, I better get going," Airiana said as she stood.

Obi-wan got up also and followed her to the door. When they reached it Airiana turned around and said quietly, "Thanks again for everything."

"Any time," Obi-wan replied in an equally quiet voice.

As the two of them stood at the door together, Airiana began getting very warm; she could feel her face turning red. She was also overcome by shyness, no longer knowing what to say. A simple good-bye didn't seem to quite fit anymore. Obi-wan must have thought so too because he looked as though he was going to say something and then stopped. She took a deep breath to clear her mind. It worked because just as quickly as they had come, her heat flash and shyness were gone.

"Well…I'll see you later," then she slowly turned and walked down the hallway.

The grass was cool beneath her feet as Airiana walked around the pond of one of Coruscant's many parks. She eventually came to a large tree where she sat down and rested her back against its base. As she looked out over the calm surface of the pond she thought of all that had happened within the last few days.

It all started the night Obi-wan told her who he thought her father might be. After a restless night Airiana spent the next morning in meditation; she sensed the truth in Obi-wan, but was also surprised to feel it within herself. It seemed that deep down she had always known Qui-gon was her father.

After this discovery, Airiana went to find Obi-wan and tell him that he was right, but when she got to his and Anakin's rooms there wasn't anyone there. Reaching out with her senses she realized that they weren't in the Temple, or to her dismay, even on Coruscant. She found out later that day that they had left first thing in the morning for an urgent mission. This disappointed her greatly because she had been really looking forward to seeing Obi-wan and getting chance to speak with him.

Later that night Airiana watched the news and found out that the Separatists were gaining more support and it was rumored that Dooku was responsible for a few recent attacks. Worst still was that the Council kept insisting that because Dooku had been a Jedi he was incapable of taking innocent lives. It took every last ounce of patience Airiana had not to storm into the Council chambers and tell them how absurdly stupid and naïve they were being.

And on top of all this there were rumors that the Senate was in the process of making a bill that would create an Army of the Republic. Apparently, some people believed it would assist the Jedi. Airiana knew that the Clone Wars must be coming up; she had learned about them from Ben, but she still couldn't believe this – the Senate was just _asking_ for a war. Then again, Palpatine _was_ the Chancellor and who knew what kind of power he had this time around.

Airiana sighed as she massaged her temples. That morning the Council had informed her that they were sending her on a mission; a simple, boring negotiation in which she would have to sit and listen to old politicians bicker back and forth. But the 'excitement' of this mission wasn't the only thing that had her dismayed; now that she was back on active duty and leaving for a mission the next day she wouldn't be able to talk to Obi-wan for quite some time. She had also asked the Council what they planned to do about Dooku; they point blank told her it wasn't her concern. She knew right away that Master Yoda was intentionally not telling her anything related to Dooku because of what she had told him. He didn't trust her; thought she might do something rash. As Master Windu dismissed her, Airiana thought of requesting a private meeting with Master Yoda, but decided it probably wouldn't do any good and let it go. As she walked back to her apartment a powerful urge to get away from the Temple came over her. When Airiana had reached her rooms, she quickly changed into a pair of gym shorts, a t-shirt, and Nike flip-flops; it felt good to be in Earth clothes again.

Airiana sighed once again as she looked across the pond. She was fed-up with being a Jedi; the code (which she didn't agree with much), the constant traveling, the different time zones, the tedious paper work, the politicians, Palpatine, Dooku, the Senate, the Council… It was no wonder the Order took in initiates as toddlers.

Airiana looked down at her watch and saw that she had spent the better part of the afternoon in the park. She sat there for a few more minutes enjoying the cool breeze before deciding she had better get up and go back to the Temple in order to change back into her robes, pack for her mission, and head to the landing platform where her transport would be leaving in a few hours.

When she returned from her mission, Airiana didn't feel much better. She didn't have much time to think about it though. Things really began to get busy and as the months progressed they only got busier and busier. With so much to do, Airiana barely had time to notice that she had been living in the Jedi Temple for over a year. Actually, nowadays Airiana was barely ever at the Temple and she hadn't spoken to Obi-wan or Anakin for ages. If she was lucky, she might get a chance to speak to them within the next day or two since she was had just returned from a very demanding mission and was given a few days to rest.

At the moment, Airiana was sitting in her room waiting for coverage to begin on an emergency Senate meeting. There were a few minutes left until the session was suppose to start and as she waited Airiana made herself comfortable by leaning back against the sofa and propping her feet up on the coffee table in front of her.

Even though she tried to relax, Airiana just couldn't; thoughts of the last few weeks kept straying into her head. She had had mission after mission with no breaks in between most of them; the physical and mental demands of so many missions was starting to wear at her. But it wasn't only Airiana that was being run ragged; most other Jedi were too.

And Airiana knew exactly who to blame for it – Dooku; Count Dooku and his Separatists. Thousands of star systems had already joined him and thousands more threatening too. Of course, it was up to the Jedi to try and persuade those systems and others to keep their faith in the Republic; a job that was getting harder and harder to do.

Just then the coverage began in the Senate. Mas Amedda stood up and recognized the representative of Naboo. The respective dais moved toward the center of the Senate, but it wasn't carrying Senator Amidala as Airiana had expected, but a Gungan by the name of Jar-Jar Binks. Perhaps Senator Amidala was taking a break after the event on the landing pad. Airiana couldn't blame her, but she had always thought the Senator was the kind of person that didn't let those kinds of things stop her. She especially got this impression from what Ben had said about the Senator and Anakin's future wife. The simple fact that it wasn't Senator Amidala on that dais and speaking made Airiana a little nervous and she sat up so she could pay more attention to everything that happened.

The start of Jar-Jar's speech wasn't anything Airiana hadn't heard before. He talked about how the Republic was in a crisis and blah, blah, blah. Airiana was just beginning to relax and think it would be another boring debate when everything came crumbling down. Jar-Jar proposed that Palpatine should be given emergency powers.

As the cameras zoomed in on the Chancellor, Airiana gripped the edge of the seat to keep from storming the Senate Building; after all, there was still hope. He may not accept or someone else might stop him from accepting. Yeah right, who was she kidding? Her heart was pounding in her chest as he began to speak.

"It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling."

_No._

"I love democracy; I love the Republic. The power you give me, I will lay down when this crisis has abated."

_Son-of-a-bitch, no._

"And as my first act with this new authority, I will create a grand Army of the Republic to counter the increasing threats of the Separatists."


	10. And So It Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Audra: Yes, the LOTR stuff will continue and all the questions surrounding Airiana that are related to that part of the story will be answered. I'm really not involving Harry Potter into the story line at all. I just threw in the books because I'm a fan and was reading the latest one at the time I wrote that chapter. I just thought it would be cool to put that in since Airiana is an Earthling of sorts and would also know about the Harry Potter books. As for the category of the story, I chose general because I believe there is a little bit of everything in this story and I didn't want to restrict it to one category or another. I'm also very glad you liked Ch. 7! I really enjoyed writing that chapter and I think it turned out really well.

Hey, here's an idea: Everybody vote for what you think would be the best category for this story.

Ch 10: And So It Begins

An hour later Airiana had worked herself into a rage and was on her way to see Master Yoda; if there was one person who could stop this, it was him. She stormed her way through the temple and soon found him in a meditation chamber along with Master Windu.

When she opened the doors to the chamber she found both Master Windu and Master Yoda looking towards her as if they had been expecting her. She caught Master Yoda's gaze and all her anger melted away. As his eyes bore into hers, he seemed to open up and allow her to see him for who he really was; a being with great strengths, great weaknesses, insecurities, faults, triumphs, emotion, experience, and wisdom. It felt as though this was the first time she had ever truly seen him.

As she continued to stare into Yoda's eyes he transformed from the most revered Jedi Master in the universe to the self-exiled prisoner of Dagobah. Airiana had never seen him in such a way before and it scared her. No longer was he the symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and strength, but of hard times, loss, and regret. She realized that the Yoda of Dagobah was old, decrepit, lonely; his spirit half broken by solitude and defeat.

Airiana's heart sank as she realized just how hard it must have been for her Master and how hard it _will_ be for him. What had caused him to take such extreme measures and isolate himself from everybody but herself? Now she wished she had had the courage to ask him.

But even as Airiana realized all this, a deep and overwhelming respect for the Jedi Master in front of her rose within her chest. After all that had happened to him, even when he was defeated and forced into a lonely and helpless existence, her master still held on to his beliefs; never losing faith in the Jedi way or giving up hope on the thought that someday everything would work out and balance would once again be restored.

Airiana wasn't so sure she could do what her master had done. It would take a great deal of patience, strength, and perseverance. Master Yoda certainly had all of those qualities and it was no wonder that he was able to keep his faith through such hard times.

Only a few moments had passed since Airiana had entered the room and first looked into Master Yoda's eyes, but in those few moments Yoda _truly_ became her master. Airiana silently pledged her complete loyalty to him and vowed to do all that she could to attain the patience and control that her Master had always tried to instill in her.

Airiana stepped forward and dropped down on one knee, "Master, I have not been honest with you. There are many things I must tell you, but there is one subject that is more important than all else at this moment. The Cha-,"

Master Yoda held up his hand. "Always in motion, the future is."

"Yes, Master."

Yoda studied her for a few moments before a knowing smile crossed his face and he continued, "Something I want you to do there is," he paused as he looked up at Master Windu, "Go with Master Windu to Genosis and help rescue Master Kenobi. Believe that Count Dooku is there also the council does – stopped he must be."

"Yes, Master."

"Come, Knight Peredhil," Airiana stood as Master Windu addressed her, "Our transport is ready; I can brief you on the way."

Then, turning to Master Yoda they both bowed as he said, "May the Force be with you."

A few hours later Airiana was hidden in a dark crevice waiting for Master Windu's signal. The dry, dust-ridden air brushed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine and making her heart hammer the inside her chest.

The signal came. She stepped out into the scorching sun; it blinded her and distorted the images of fleeing Geonosians. As the sights around her grew clearer, she heard the apprehensive crescendo of marching soldiers. As they came into view Airiana's vision blurred again – only this time by blaster shots and adrenaline.

Images swirled around her as she twisted, twirled, ran, jumped, and defended herself. Airiana slashed at one droid while shoving another, deflected a blaster shot as she charged her next mechanical victim. The Force was pulsing through her, showing her which way to go, when to duck, where to stick her lightsaber next. It gave her energy, speed, and balance, but it could only do so much.

Airiana's arms began to get heavy, her lungs began to whine; sweat ran down her back, dust stuck to her face, and blood dripped from her hand. She was tiring, but she barely had time to notice. More and more droids kept coming and the number of Jedi Knights kept decreasing. There was no time to be tired.

And then it stopped; the shots ceased, the dust settled, a chill silence pervaded the arena. Airiana had moved toward the middle of the stadium, along with the other remaining Jedi. They were surrounded by battle droids, outnumbered, and tired; Dooku would undoubtedly be victorious.

Airiana turned to face him, perched high up on his balcony. Dooku was little changed from the last time Airiana had seen him. His hair was growing white, though it was shorter. He had the same posture, stance, and attitude; he was authoritative, powerful, and arrogant. Though Airiana could feel that his powers in this time had lessoned he was still dark, greedy, and dangerous.

"Master Windu, you have fought gallantly; worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. Now, it is finished. Surrender and your lives will be spared."

"We will not be hostages to be bartered with, Dooku."

"Then, I'm sorry old friend."

At that moment, Yoda's words came back to Airiana, "Stopped he must be." She knew what she had to do, though she wasn't sure how she could succeed in doing it. She wasn't that far from the balcony, she could jump for it. And when she made it? Off with his head. Simple, really – well no, not quite. It was risky; about as close to impossible as it could get. But she had to try. No, there is no try. She _would_ do it, or at least die in the process.

Airiana gathered all her strength, all her concentration, and all her training on the task at hand. She took a deep breath, bent her knees, closed her eyes –

"Look!"

Airiana looked up. There, blocking out the sun was a dark mass coming steadily nearer and growing continually larger. She straightened up and stepped back to make way for the landing ship. She looked around her and noticed that two other ships were landing also, creating a perimeter around the survivors. Feeling her Master's presence among the clone troopers relieved her more than anything else at that moment could have. She quickly hopped into one of the cruisers and soon it was soaring high above the chaos and destruction.

But it wasn't over yet. It could still be ended. The pilot was given orders to head to the command center. Two of the cruisers landed; one continued on. Airiana saw it go by as she stepped out of the ship and could feel Obi-wan and Anakin in it. During the battle she hadn't taken any notice of them, too consumed by concentration, duty, and staying alive to be concerned about them. After all, they were Jedi too, and could handle themselves well enough.

But now, as she watched their cruiser fly by, she worried about them. An overwhelming sense of unease crept up her spine as something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. The world slowed to a crawl as she watched in agony as a missile moved toward their ship. She watched it arch through the air, leaving a tail of blue smoke behind it as it drew closer to its prey. There was nothing she could do; there just wasn't enough time.

In the next instant the cruiser was gone. In its place a ball of fire ballooned out, and then became engulfed in thick black smoke. For a few moments Airiana was in a daze. Why wasn't the cruiser coming out of the smoke? Where'd it go? And then it hit her. The fire, the smoke – they were the cruiser.

Airiana awoke with a start. Her breath was ragged, the sheets were pinning her to the bed, and she was drenched in sweat. It had only been a dream. Anakin and Obi-wan hadn't died that day; their cruiser hadn't been hit with a missile. They had battled Dooku, Anakin had lost an arm, Obi-wan had been injured, but they were still alive.

And so was Dooku.


	11. Unrest

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Ch. 11: Unrest 

The next morning Airiana was sitting with Obi-wan in the healer's wing as they waited for Anakin to come out with his new hand. It had been a long 36 hours since they arrived back at the Temple from Genosis; the healers had been swamped with the injured and those like Anakin who weren't in that great of danger had had to wait until the more seriously injured knights were taken care of. Airiana had volunteered to help where ever she could and had spent most of her time changing bandages and making sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be.

Now she finally had a chance to sit down and relax a bit and was glad Obi-wan had been there when she came out for her break. She hadn't spoken to him for a long time and after her unsettling nightmare the night before she was anxious to see him; just to be sure everything was alright.

After their greetings, Obi-wan began to tell her how he and Anakin had been assigned to protect Senator Amidala and how it had become much more complicated than it was supposed to be. They then began talking about the battle on Genosis and the resulting war; the clones, who the Sith master could be, if what Dooku had said was true, and what would happen if it was. Airiana mostly just listened, already having a good idea about what was to come. When they had finished discussing the new Army of the Republic, Obi-wan announced that he had been made a General and Airiana informed him, likewise, that she had been made a Captain. Then, having not much else to say about the subject, they fell into a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes Obi-wan looked over at Airiana, "You look tired."

"Yeah, I am."

"You should be trying to get some sleep instead of waiting around down here. I'm sure Anakin would understand."

"Yeah, he would. But I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

"Why not?"

Airiana sighed heavily before continuing, "I've been having nightmares…about the battle."

"Oh, I see. Have you spoken with a healer about it? They may be able to help."

"No, they're busy enough. I'll be alright."

"For now you will be, but what about when you get out in the field? You'll need all the sleep you can get, and having nightmares certainly won't help. Promise me you'll talk to someone about it. Master Yoda, even; he could help you just as much as any healer could."

Airiana knew he was right; she _would_ need all the sleep she could get, but she was tired and grouchy and didn't feel like taking any advice at the moment.

"Obi-wan, I'll be fine."

"Promise me."

"Alright. I'll talk to Master Yoda."

"Thank-you," and they lapsed back into silence for a few moments.

"So, how are you doing? How's your leg comin' along?" Airiana asked.

"It's fine – just about healed, actually."

"That's good."

At that moment Anakin walked through the doors and out into the waiting area. Airiana and Obi-wan stood to meet him.

"How is it?" Obi-wan asked.

"I'll have to wait a few days to get the covering put on it; they want to make sure it's working properly."

"Well, that should give you enough time to escort Senator Amidala back to Naboo." Airiana saw Anakin's eyes light up for a split second before he regained control over his excitement.

"She's specifically requested you – any reason why?"

"Not at all, Master."

"Anakin, do you remember what I told you when we started this mission?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin answered obediently as he tried not to roll his eyes.

"I hope so," Obi-wan sighed wearily before continuing, "Now go get your things; I'm sure the Senator will want to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, Master," Anakin said as he bowed and walked away.

Obi-wan sighed once again and turned around to where Airiana had been standing quietly, "I certainly hope he doesn't let his feelings for her distract him."

"I think it's cute," Airiana said with a smile as they started walking up the hall.

"Cute? You sound as if you approve of his infatuation with her."

"What if it's more than an infatuation? What if he actually does have real feelings for her?"

"Attachments are forbidden," Obi-wan answered stoically.

"Yeah? Well, maybe they shouldn't be," Airiana said getting a little defensive

"You disagree with the code?" asked Obi-wan sounding half amused and half horrified at once.

"Yeah, I do," she spat back.

"You _do_ realize that the code is in place for a purpose? It's there to guide us and keep us on the right path."

Airiana stopped abruptly and looked icily into Obi-wan's eyes, "There's more than one right path and more than one way to walk it." She then turned and stormed off, leaving Obi-wan gaping after her.

A few minutes later Airiana was safe inside her apartment wondering what had just happened. Why had she blown up like that? Of course she was tired and stressed out, but she's been like that before and never exploded on someone – well, at least not like that. Would he tell the council how she felt? No, of course not. Or at least he had better not. But why had she gotten so pissed off at him? It just happened so fast…

Here she was interrupted by her doorbell going off. Sighing out of exasperation, Airiana pulled herself off the couch to see who it was.

"Speak of the devil," she said under her breath when the door had opened.

"Airiana…"

"What?" she said cutting Obi-wan off.

"May I come in?"

"Sure," she said unenthusiastically, stepping aside.

"Airiana," Obi-wan started again, "Are you alright?"

"I told you, I'm fine."

Obi-wan crossed his arms and gave her a look that clearly showed he disbelieved her. Oh, how she hated that smug look. Who did he think he was coming up here and trying to make her talk? Airiana spun around and headed to the tiny kitchen looking for something to do. Hopefully, he would take the hint and leave her alone, but alas, he wasn't that perceptive and followed after her.

"I don't think you are and I'm concerned about you. Since when did you disagree with the code? And why? I don't understand."

Airiana stood there at the table with her back to him for few a minute or two trying to hold back the tears that had sprung to her eyes. When she had regained control she finally spoke, head down to the floor and in a raspy whisper, but with complete calmness, "You'll never understand; not in this time."


	12. Dreams of the Future

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Ch. 12: Dreams of the Future 

Sensing that Airiana wanted to be alone Obi-wan silently turned around and began walking to the door. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back around, "I'm not leaving. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Airiana turned around to face him, "I told you – I can't."

"Can't or won't? I know you've been hiding something from me – from everybody – since you arrived here. And until now I've ignored the nagging feeling I've had to ask you about it. But I won't do so any longer," and he sat down on a chair with no intention of getting up again until he got what he wanted.

Airiana stared at him for a few seconds; he staring arrogantly back at her. She knew there was no getting out of it this time, so she slowly made her way to the sitting area and sat down across from him.

With an annoyed huff, she began, "I've experienced a lot more in my life than you may think and those experiences have led me to believe that the code is wrong, invalid, and just plain stupid. Now, before you say anything, I do believe the code was valid at one time, but that time has long been dead and the code should have died with it."

Airiana sat back, thinking she had satisfied Obi-wan's curiosity. Obi-wan allowed her to think this for a few minutes before saying, "I'm interested to know what those experiences were?"

Airiana glowered at him for a bit before continuing, "Let's just think logically here for a second. How can you not have any attachments? You have a padawan – that's an attachment; you have a master – that's an attachment; people have friends – those are attachments. How can the code say that attachments are forbidden when every Jedi has multiple attachments? And don't give me that crap about how 'those aren't the kind of attachments that the code is referring to' because it doesn't matter. The way I see it, an attachment is an attachment no matter who it's with and no matter what the nature of the relationship is. If you're going to react badly over the death of a husband or a wife, then, chances are, you're going to react badly over the death of a master, apprentice, or a friend too."

Airiana paused for a split second to take a breath, "Oh, and by the way, what do all those 'attachments' have in common? Love – the one emotion that connects every single one of those relationships. Love is what holds people together, what allows people get along…And yet the Jedi act as if love is such a bad thing; something to be shunned and discouraged, something that is poisonous and harmful. If the Jedi would just open their eyes they'd see how nourishing and rewarding it is. They might even find that they depend on it more than they think. You see, it's all a matter of point of view, really – if you see it as a bad thing, then it'll be a bad thing; if you see it as a good thing, then it'll be a good thing. And that is what the Jedi need to learn to see it as – a good thing. And possibly the strongest weapon against the darkside anyone will ever know."

Obi-wan waited a few moments and sighed before saying, "It's not as simple as that."

He then stood up and began walking to the door. Airiana got up and went after him, "What do you mean it's not that simple? Of course it is."

Obi-wan stopped and turned back to her, "Maybe in an ideal world it is – but the world we live in is far from ideal." With that he turned back around and left, leaving Airiana dumbfounded and more irritated than she was before.

After a restless night's sleep Airiana woke up early and went to see Master Yoda. She found him in a meditation room and when he didn't immediately acknowledge her presence, she sat down on one of the seats next to him and tried to slip into a light meditation until he was ready.

Try as she might, however, Airiana couldn't get her mind off of the argument she had with Obi-wan the night before. Actually, it wasn't the 'debate' that had her so worked up, but the way Obi-wan had reacted to it; he had left without even considering what she had said. That just didn't seem like him. After all, he was known throughout the Temple as a great negotiator. But Airiana sure would have been hard pressed to guess it based on how he acted the night before.

"Hmmm, troubled your mind is," Yoda acknowledged her.

Airiana sighed before opening her eyes and answering, "Yes, Master. I've been having nightmares about the battle."

"A horrible experience it was," Yoda replied gravely, shaking his head, "Much time it will take for the wounds to heal."

"I can't wait Master. These nightmares…I've had nightmares before after the war for Middle Earth, but…these are different. I can't sleep. And when I do, I awake from horrible sights, sounds, and feelings. And they're so real. Even after I wake up I still think I feel the sand on my face, the smoke in my lungs. Sometimes I even believe I have new cuts and bruises from the battle. I've never experienced anything like this before and I don't want it to interfere with anything while I'm out in the field."

"Much distress I feel in you. Help, I will. Now, let me see these nightamares," Yoda finished before closing his eyes.

Airiana followed suit and soon felt her master's familiar presence enter her mind. She then slowly lowered the wall she had built around her nightmares, letting them out one by one. Slowly, painfully Airiana relived each nightmare; the confusion, the determination, the shock, pain, death…Obi-wan, Anakin…fire…smoke…darkness…

Airiana opened her eyes to see Master Yoda standing above her, his hand on her forehead, "Master…what happened?" she asked hoarsely.

"Lost consciousness, you did."

"Why?" Airiana questioned as she sat up.

"Hmm, not sure am I. Very disturbing these visions are."

"Then you don't think they're nightmares?"

"No. Nightmares, they are not; nor visions. Something more are they. Very careful you must be until discover the true nature of these 'visions,' we do."

A little later Airiana was heading back to her apartment feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Together, she and Master Yoda had made a plan on how to figure out what the nature of her strange visions were and, if possible, how to deal with them. Their plan consisted of Airiana keeping a journal of every nightmare she had and meeting with Master Yoda every morning to discuss them and meditate over them. If no significant results came of this, then it was decided that Master Yoda would watch over Airiana while she slept so that he would be able to monitor not only her physical state during her nightmares, but also her mental state, watching and experiencing the visions firsthand.

It seemed like a good way of going about things, but there was no telling how long it would take. And since Master Yoda had also decided that Airiana shouldn't be given any missions until they knew what was going on, time was a major concern. At least for Airiana it was; Master Yoda didn't seem to be too worried about it – or the council for that matter. When she had asked him what he would tell them so that she would be able to stay on Coruscant, he had simply laughed and told her, "Worry not. Not known as the great Master Yoda for nothing am I."

When Airiana reached her quarters she found a message waiting for her on the comm unit. It was one of the Masters from the healer's wing, letting her know that they were grateful for her help and that her assistance would not be necessary anymore. Deleting it, Airiana was almost disappointed that the healers wouldn't need her help any longer. She had enjoyed working in the healer's wing and had thought more than once since returning from the battle that she would've liked being a healer had she had the oppurtunity.

At the same time, however, she also enjoyed the feel of her lightsaber in her hand and the way the Force flowed through her when she was in a duel or performing katas. Yes, she would have been perfectly happy as a healer, but she was also a warrior and knew she would never be able to live a quiet life on one planet or in one time. But who knew? Perhaps she would still be allowed to help out in the healer's wing every now and then.

As she was thinking about these things, her eyes came to rest upon her sword. It had been ages since she had held it in her hands. A powerful urge moved from her fingers to her toes to take it down off the wall and once again feel the cool, engraved metal under her fingers; to feel the weight of it in her hands and to see the glint of light dance along the blade as she swung it back and forth.

A smile crept up on Airiana's lips as she stood on tip-toe to take it down from the wall. Then, holding it gently, she pulled it out of its sheath, giving it a few slow swings and carefully looking over the shining white metal making sure it was exactly as she had left it. Satisfied, she slid her sword back into its sheath, strapped it to her belt and headed to the training rooms.


	13. A New Path

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Thanks everyone for all the reviews, I really loved 'em, so keep 'em comin!

Ch. 13: A New Path

Airiana studied the padawan's wound carefully. It wasn't anything serious, just a minor burn from his opponent's lightsaber being turned up a bit too high. Placing her hand so that it hovered just above her patient's arm, she closed her eyes and concentrated on guiding the Force to heal the wound. She imagined tiny threads of light moving into the cells, then the nucleus, turning on genes that would initiate cell division and speed up the healing process. After a few minutes she withdrew and allowed the cells to continue dividing at there natural pace. When she looked down at the boy's arm, all she saw was a red mark that looked like a strangely shaped sunburn.

"Am I finished?" asked the padawan with an anxious look on his face.

"I'm just going to put some bacta on it and bandage it up a bit then you're free to go. But," she continued as she began applying the bacta, "I don't want to see you down here again because you didn't take care of it, so I'm going to give you some extra bacta and bandages. Clean it at morning and night, put a new bandage on it, and it should be back to normal within a day or two."

"Yes, Master."

"And from now on, make sure you and your opponent have your lightsabers turned down to the correct setting. Or next time I'll be informing your masters."

"Yes, Master. I will," and he left the room.

"You did very well, Knight Peredhil."

Airiana turned and saw the head of the healer's wing, Master Nessa Cis standing at the doorway. She was a humanoid species, an inch or two shorter than Airiana with long, honey hair that she wore in braid, clear blue eyes, and rose-colored skin. She was a very wise healer who understood the importance of being caring and thoughtful to the patients, but who could also be quite forceful, detached, and intimidating when she had to be. Airiana loved working with her and was very grateful for allowing her to become a 'padawan' healer, as Master Cis liked to call her, almost a month ago.

"Thank-you, Master Cis," Airiana replied as she prepared the examination room for the next patient.

Master Cis continued watching her for a few moments before going on, "How long have you been studying with us now, Airiana?"

"About a month, I think. Why do you ask?"

"You have learned quite a lot this last month, much more than I thought you would."

"Thank-you," Airiana said a little uncertainly.

"The fact is, Airiana, that you are a fast learner. Healing seems to come naturally to you and I would like you consider becoming one full-time. I have already spoken with the Council and they have agreed to your studying to become a healer if you so choose."

"Master, I don't know what to say…"

"You don't need to make any decisions now. It's a big choice to make and you should meditate on it fully before coming to a decision. Take as much time as you need and let the Force guide you."

The next morning Airiana was sitting with Master Yoda in their usual meditation room and had just finished going over her last vision. After a month, they still had no clues as to what her nightmares really were and Airiana was getting anxious; it was time they moved on to plan B.

"Master, how much longer are we going to continue this?"

"Hmm, perhaps time it is to move on to the next step. Set up a vigil tonight, I will. Then, perhaps, we will uncover the mystery surrounding your nightmares."

"I hope so, Master."

"As do I," and he began getting up to leave. But seeing that Airiana wasn't getting up as well, Yoda asked if there was something more she wished to speak about.

"Yesterday Master Cis asked me if I would like to study to become a healer. She said the council had already approved of it. Why did the council approve? Isn't it a little late for me to become a healer?"

"Young you are yet and recommended you highly, Master Cis did. Never the opportunity had you to become a healer; only the basics, could I ever teach. Very dedicated are you and natural healing comes to you. Why should you not have the opportunity to become a healer if so wish you? Hmm?"

Airiana spent the rest of the morning in meditation, trying to decide what the will of the Force was. She really enjoyed working in the healer's wing. She had always loved biology in school back on Earth and if she had continued living there she had no doubt she would have done something biology-related. And here, in this time, she could do so much more than she could've ever dreamed of doing on Earth. Master Yoda was right when he said he could only ever teach her the basics and she had learned them fairly early on in her training. But the skill and concentration required to heal someone else like she had been doing was so much different. She loved the feeling of the Force flow through her and be materialized into something that could be used to heal. She truly did want to learn more, but she wasn't sure if that's where the Force was leading her.

After all, Airiana still enjoyed having her lightsaber in her hand and feeling the lightness of it as she worked through katas and other saber techniques that she had learned; it still felt right. And, she had to admit, she was getting a bit of cabin fever. She was ready to leave the Temple and do what she could to help the Republic on the battlefield, especially when she saw injured Knights and Masters come into the healer's wing; she just couldn't help feeling like she should be out there with her fellow Jedi…that she'd be able to do more out there than here at the Temple.

The rest of the afternoon passed away quickly and soon the skyline outside Airiana's window had darkened and the red and white lights of traffic, the flashing ads, and the glow of offices and apartments dotted the view. It was already quite late and she had already read two chapters of David Copperfield when Master Yoda finally arrived at her apartment.

She showed him in and they walked in silence to her bedroom, Airiana already quite tired and Master Yoda concentrating on the task at hand. Earlier in the evening, Airiana had moved a chair to her bedside for her master and he know climbed up on it as Airiana crawled under her covers.

"Ready are you to form the bond?"

"Yes, Master," Airiana answered with a yawn.

Airiana closed her eyes and allowed her master's presence to fill her mind and form a temporary bond. It was comforting to know that her former master was there watching over her and she realized how much she missed being his padawan. She didn't have much more time to contemplate this thought, however, because she felt a light suggestion to sleep and she willfully obeyed.

It wasn't long until Airiana started dreaming, but this time she was dreaming of Earth; movies she had seen mixed with a distorted reality and while singing "Whistle While You Work" from _Snow White_ she was walking down the yellow brick road with Gandalf.

Catching a glimpse out of the corner of her eye, Airiana turned from Gandalf to see Sauron's ring hovering only a few feet away from her, calling to her and pulling her closer. She stretched out her hand as if to grab it, but it kept moving away from her, so that it was always just out of her reach.

Airiana began running after it and everything around her became a dark void as she focused solely on the ring. She ran faster and faster and soon, instead of running, she was falling downward. The ring was still in front of her and she kept her arm out to grab it as soon as she caught up with it.

A dark dread slowly crept up on her as she realized that sooner or later she would reach the bottom of the deep hole. Only too soon did her realizations become materialized; she could now see the bottom of the pit. It was black just like everything around her, but, unlike everything around her, it had a concrete appearance; one that was unyielding and unforgiving.

But the ring was getting closer. Just a little farther…she could feel the tips of her fingers graze its smooth surface…only a little farther and – yes! She had it!

But she was still falling and much faster than she was before, she realized with painful clarity. She could see the ground more clearly and she knew there was no way to stop herself from hitting it. Tightly shutting her eyes and holding on to the ring with both hands she prepared herself for the impact.

Airiana landed with a heavy thud that sounded like an explosion going off. A second or two later she opened her eyes. She was lying on the ground and could see feet running up and downhill. Another explosion went off somewhere behind her and she was showered with sand and dirt. Standing up, lightsaber in hand, she winced as she felt a large bruise on the side she had fallen on. She didn't have much time to get over it because no sooner had she stood up and she had to defend herself from incoming blaster bolts, easily getting lost in the confusion of the battle, which raged on much like it had before.

Eventually the fighting came to halt and the remaining Jedi were forced into a circle in the middle of the stadium. Dooku offered to let them live as before, and as before, Master Windu had refused. Once again Master Yoda came just in time with the clone troopers. The ships landed around the survivors and Airiana climbed into the closest one. They were just taking off when fighter jets started streaming into the stadium from above, raining shots on the ill-prepared and bulky carriers.

Airiana looked out the open side of the ship to see Master Yoda's ship directly opposite hers. Their eyes locked on to one another and just as they did one of the fighters hit their target and she no longer saw Master Yoda or the ship – only a ball of flame.


	14. Nothing Is As Real As A Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Ch. 14: Nothing Is As Real As A Dream

Airiana awoke with a start, once again drenched in sweat and twisted up in her sheets. As she caught her breath she turned to Master Yoda expectantly. But as soon as she saw him a cold shiver went down her spine; he looked like what she imagined he looked like after discovering the Order had been wiped out and then being defeated by Sidius – shocked, beaten, tired, and completely at a loss for what to do.

"Master?" Airiana whispered anxiously, startling Master Yoda out of his reverie, "What's wrong?"

Yoda looked up at her, but still did not answer her. Airiana repeated herself and Master Yoda looked back down at the floor and sighed heavily.

"Worse my findings are than what was first suspected," he looked back up at Airiana with a compassionate and remorseful expression, "Not only relive the events of the battle in your mind did you, but also in reality. When, in your dream, you were falling, feel the force begin to surround you and pull you, I could. But upon landing, ripped away your presence was and gone were you when open my eyes I did. Physically going back to the battle you are."

Airiana stared at him, not realizing what he was saying. She then began to smile and look at her Master mischievously.

"Master, are you sure it wasn't _you_ who was dreaming?"

"My padawan, wish I was dreaming I do."

He said it so sullenly and so full of remorse that Airiana's smile faded away and the immenseness of her situation began to make her numb. Yoda waited patiently for Airiana to come to terms with what he had just told her. A few minutes passed and a few tears began trickling down her face at the realization that she had actually seen Master Yoda die and Obi-wan die and Anakin die and countless others die over and over again.

Her grief at knowing that in some kind of alternate universe, people that she had come to know died, overwhelmed her; the faces of those she saw dying filled her mind and the groans of explosions and the injured deafened her ears. She thought of all the Jedi she had seen die in her 'dreams' and what it would be like if they had died on Genosis in this universe. It was a sobering thought and gave her a whole new perspective on how her actions in this time could change the future that she knew. A new sense of responsibility crowded in on Airiana and threatened to crush her. Just when it was beginning to get hard to breath, Master Yoda called to her attention.

"Airiana, calm down you must. Much work we have to do, if find a way to stop this we are."

"Yes, Master," Airiana answered dutifully as she calmed herself down.

When she was calm, Master Yoda sighed heavily and looked at the clock, "Early it yet is. Go I will to meditate on these findings."

Airiana watched as Master Yoda got down from his post and walked out of the room. When she finally heard the door slide shut, she allowed herself to release the sigh that she had been holding in from the time her master had told her what had happened. Though Master Yoda sounded somewhat hopeful that they would be able to work something out, Airiana didn't let her get her hopes up. She had no idea how they were even suppose to go about finding a solution – then again, knowing her master, it would probably require a lot of meditating, she thought with a sad smile.

Not wanting to think about her new 'problem' anymore, Airiana looked pitifully at the clock; it was just after four. As much as she hated getting out of bed this early, she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she threw the covers aside and stood up to stretch. At the same time she began wondering what she was going to do with herself with four and a half extra hours. She contemplated heading down to the healer's wing, but figured there probably wouldn't be much for her to do since it was so early. After running a few other ideas through her mind, she finally settled on going to the practice rooms to face off against a training droid.

After getting dressed she left her room and wound her way through the empty halls to the training rooms. Passing some large windows on the way, she noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise in the east, just like on Earth. She stopped to simply enjoy the view for a little bit and saw that even the city that never sleeps seemed to be a bit calmer at this early hour than it usually was.

The sky was clear and showed every color blue in the spectrum, from the almost white, where the sun was rising over the horizon, to the deep velvet blue of the remaining midnight. She loved the way mornings felt and looked, even if she didn't like getting up to enjoy them. Imagining how clean and crisp the air felt outside, Airiana turned away from the window and began walking toward the nearest exit, deciding that she could use a little fresh air.

After about an hour of jogging through the mostly deserted streets of Coruscant, Airiana slowed down and finally came to a stop. She had thought about a lot while she jogged and her head felt clearer and her body felt less tense. As she took a few moments to stretch out her legs and her back, she looked around to see where she was. She hadn't really been paying attention to where she was going before and by the time she finished stretching, Airiana had figured out that she was pretty close to the Senate building.

Looking in the direction where the Senate building lay, Airiana felt a slight tingling in the Force, coaxing her onward. Not one to go against the will of the Force, Airiana followed its calling and began walking toward the Senate.

A few blocks later, Airiana's stomach began to beg for food, so she stopped at a small bakery that was just opening up and bought a couple of hot rolls to eat on her way and hold her up until she could have a decent breakfast back at her apartment. Just as she was finishing the last of her rolls, Airiana reached the Senate complex and stopped in amazement and disgust at the sight of the first star destroyers, waiting to be filled with stormtroopers. The scene sent an eerie chill over her. It also reminded her that she had the chance to stop those from ever being used in the name of the Empire. Or did she?

Ever since arriving here, Airiana had thought she was meant to change the future; to stop the Sith Lord from taking over the government, to stop the Jedi from being destroyed, and to stop Anakin from turning into Darth Vader. But ever since this morning, she wasn't so sure. She had traveled to alternate universes; there was no other explanation for why her 'visions' were of the same thing, but with different things happening in them. And knowing that made her wonder if it meant that this universe couldn't change.

Looking back at the star destroyers, Airiana thought that it was time to get back to the Temple; perhaps Master Yoda had discovered something during his meditation. At any rate, she could take a nice, long shower and eat a real breakfast. Maybe she'd even go see what Obi-wan was up to. It had been a few days since their 'disagreement' and she felt a little foolish about it now and wanted to talk to him. Maybe she would even see if he wanted to join her for breakfast, she thought as she hailed a cab to take her back the Temple.


	15. Now is the Winter of Our Discontent

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (except a few original characters) and I'm not making any money off of this.

Ch. 15: Now is the Winter of Our Discontent

"I was hoping you would come by," Obi-wan said, smiling as he stepped aside to let Airiana enter his apartment.

"You were?" Airiana asked, surprised.

"Yes. I wanted to speak with you earlier, but every time I went to your rooms you weren't there."

"Oh, sorry," Airiana replied a little sheepishly, "I've been really busy the last few days."

"Everyone has been since the war began," Obi-wan said with a tired sigh.

"Yeah. So…what did you want to talk about?" Airiana asked as she sat down.

"Oh, yes…well, I wanted to apologize…for the other night. I don't know what came over me am I am sorry for my behavior."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did either. Let's just forget about it, k?"

"Agreed," Obi-wan answered with a smile. A few moments passed and then he got up and asked if Airiana wanted anything to drink. As he walked to the kitchen he asked what Airiana had been doing to keep her so busy.

Following Obi-wan, Airiana sat down at the table, "Working down in the healer's wing mostly."

As Obi-wan came over to the table with their drinks he said, "You like working down there, don't you."

"Yeah, I do." Airiana answered a little wistfully.

"Are you going to accept Master Cis' offer, then?"

"How do you know about that?" questioned Airiana over the top of her glass.

"News travels fast."

"Yeah, guess so."

"So, are you going to become a healer?"

"I don't know yet. I know I'd like it, but I'm just not sure. Right now I think I'd be more useful out on the battlefield."

Obi-wan took a sip from his drink before saying, "I think you should do it. It suits you."

"So does combat," Airiana returned regretfully. Then, to change the subject she asked when Anakin was getting back from Naboo.

"Before the week's out, hopefully. The council already informed me that they have a mission for us and they want us to leave as soon as possible. It seems the Republic needs all the help they can get right now."

"You don't sound very optimistic."

"Something about this war; the way it started, how we couldn't sense it coming, just doesn't bode well with me. I have a bad feeling about the whole thing."

Airiana winced a bit at Obi-wan's last comment, but luckily he hadn't noticed and after a pause asked why Airiana hadn't been sent out yet.

Airiana's head snapped up at this question; she wasn't prepared for the question and it took her a second or two to stumble something out about working with Master Yoda on tactics. Obi-wan gave her sideways look, but let it go, instead suggesting that they go to lunch.

As they walked to the cafeteria, they ran into Bant and asked her to join them; she agreed and the three of them continued on their way. Not getting much time to see each other anymore, Bant and Obi-wan had a lot to talk about and Airiana got to hear more stories of when they were padawans. The three of them did more laughing and chatting than eating and spent the better part of the afternoon in the cafeteria.

That night, Airiana couldn't help thinking about how long it had been since she had so much fun. Thinking about what a good time she had filled her mind and she didn't even worry about what the night would bring. And for some reason, whether it was because she was more relaxed than she had been since the battle, because she was finally letting go of it, or for some other unknown reason, she didn't dream that night, or at least not of battles and death.

Instead, Airiana dreamed that she was back in Rivendell, before the dark times. A great feast was being held and there was music and dancing. Looking around the crowded room she saw Elrond quietly enjoying the festivities from a balcony overhead; Arwen and Aragorn were dancing together and looked happier than she had ever seen them in reality. Even Gandalf was there, entertaining those around him with small displays of magic.

Looking around more she saw other familiar faces as well; other members of the Fellowship, Master Yoda, people she knew from Earth, other Jedi she had become acquainted with, all of them in Rivendell, having a good time and acting like they all had known each other since they were children.

Airiana had been so absorbed by simply watching everyone that she didn't notice that someone was behind her until the stranger's hands were on her waist. As the person moved to her side, one hand trailed across to the middle of her back and urged her forward. She looked up and saw Obi-wan looking down at her and smiling; one hand still resting on the small of her back and the other gesturing to the dance floor.

Airiana let herself be led and soon they were on the dance floor, her head resting on his shoulder, his smooth cheek on her forehead, and his long padawan braid tickling her neck. The song ended entirely too soon and he pulled away. Her eyes met his as he cupped her face in his hands and she ran her fingers through his short hair. As they studied each other, their faces began to move closer to one another and the world around them disappeared. Pretty soon there was only a hairsbreadth between them and Airiana closed her eyes expectantly.

Airiana awoke, smiling, to the sun streaming in through her window and feeling more rested than she had in a long time. Still smiling, she turned over and wished she could fall back asleep. She had been dreaming a wonderful dream; the kind of dream where a wish comes true, you never want to wake up, and when you do, all you can think about is getting back to that perfect place. Unfortunately, Airiana couldn't remember for the life of her what her dream was about, only that it was something beautiful and perfect.

Two days later, Anakin returned to the Temple and then immediately left again with Obi-wan to lead clone troopers against the Seperatists. In the meanwhile, Airiana continued meeting with Master Yoda, but eventually her late night journeys began occurring less frequently and finally stopped altogether. Thinking that it was simply the stress of the battle that had brought them on, Master Yoda decided to turn their attention to working on ways for Airiana to calm down and relax in order to try and prevent future trips into alternate universes.

Airiana also continued working in the healer's wing, eventually coming to accept Master Cis' offer and becoming her somewhat official padawan healer. Airiana called herself a 'somewhat official' padawan healer because it was agreed between her and Master Cis that healing would come second and not interfere with any missions that the Council assigned to Airiana. In this way, Airiana could get the best of both worlds; she could still get away from the Temple and go on missions, but also train to be healer.

Airiana remained at the Temple for three months before Master Yoda reluctantly agreed that she was ready to be put on active duty. She was promoted to General and sent to the Outer Rim to ascertain whether any of those systems were thinking about leaving the Republic, and if they were, to try and stop them. She also negotiated with the governments in order to get them to pledge whatever support they could offer to the Republic. Most of the time Airiana was stuck in offices and government buildings, pretending to be interested in politics. If it weren't for the grassroots bands of Separatist supporters who threatened to start civil war or who occasionally caused a skirmish or two, Airiana would have been quite bored and begging the Council to send her out to battle.

It wasn't until almost a year later that Airiana was sent into combat. The Council had received a message from the Tarogan government saying that they were under attack by Separatist forces and requested assistance, specifically asking for Airiana.

The fighting started as soon as Airiana and her squadron entered the Tarogan system. After what seemed like hours of dog fighting, the squadron was finally able to land. Airiana's first priority was to free the capitol city from Separatist control, which took almost three weeks. Things didn't get any easier from there and reinforcements were called in.

Although Airiana won most of her battles and was steadily, albeit slowly, gaining ground, life was difficult and there were only two good things that stuck out in her mind during her time on Taroga. The first was that the calming techniques that she had worked on with Master Yoda helped immensely with keeping her in one place. It was only during extreme times of combat or when she had little time to meditate that her 'nightmares' would return. The other good thing was that Anakin, newly knighted, had come to Taroga as part of the reinforcements during one of the more intense periods of battle. They often discussed tactics together and collaborated on many offences, but they also got the chance to talk about things other than the war and enjoy each other's company.

Not knowing exactly when Anakin would turn, but feeling that it must be getting close, Airiana enjoyed every moment they spent together, hoping all the time that something she said or did would somehow stop his fall. But even when she knew his time as Anakin Skywalker was coming to a close, she still couldn't imagine what would make him turn to the Dark Side; there was so much good in him now and she had come to know him so well that it was hard to reconcile the image of Darth Vader with the Jedi Knight that was with her on Taroga.

Unfortunately, Anakin's stay on Taroga was interrupted by his former master needing his assistance defending the Outer Rim against the sieges. When she saw him off Airiana told him to tell Obi-wan she said hello. He said he would and turned around to walk to his fighter. As Airiana saw him walk away, she had a strange feeling that this would be the last time she saw him as Anakin Skywalker, so on a whim, she called after him, ran up to him and through her arms around his waist. Not knowing quite what to do, Anakin patted her on the back and mumbled that he had to get going. Knowing he was right, Airiana gave him one last squeeze and told him to take care of himself.

Over the next several months, the Republic won key battles, along with the battle for Taroga, and there was even talk that the war could be over within a year. These things only made Airiana more uneasy, however, because she knew that Anakin would turn before the end of the war. Airiana returned to the Temple only to be given another mission by the Council and leave again. Before she left, she packed up her sword and a few other items that she didn't want to leave behind if something should happen before she had the chance to return.

A few weeks later, news came that Count Dooku had been killed and that General Grievous was on the run with Obi-wan Kenobi hot on his heels. Airiana knew when she heard this that the end was near, not only for the war, but for Anakin as well and it nearly broke her heart. She cursed herself for being too afraid to interfere and not doing more to prevent it, but there was nothing she could do now; she was lightyears away from him and she had her duties. And so, she prepared herself for the news and concentrated all her energy into her missions.

Not long after this, Airiana woke up one morning and knew it had happened or was about to happen. Not knowing what to expect from the storm troopers, she packed everything she wanted in a knapsack, threw it on her back, and began arming herself with every weapon that was in her small tent. Just as she was about to step outside, the Force screamed at her and she barely had enough time to take out her lightsaber and start deflecting blaster shots.

Airiana backed up until she could go no further, then she cut an opening in the wall of the tent and jumped out, tripping over the bottom of the torn tent as she did so and falling to the ground. When she looked up, she was surrounded by storm troopers, all with their blasters aimed at her. Knowing she only had a few seconds until they pulled their triggers, Airiana slammed her eyes shut and desperately called on the Force to take her to any time but this one.

When, a few seconds later, she didn't hear shots being fired and didn't feel any searing pain, she opened her eyes to be greeted by pitch black. She blinked a few times and when her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the familiar interior of Ben's hovel. Finally exhaling the breath she had been holding she got to her feet, silently began pulling off her weaponry, and sank into the small sofa.

Tomorrow, she and Ben would have a long talk on exactly what happened, but for now all she wanted was to sleep and forget that she had ever been in a past where Anakin Skywalker was still Anakin Skywalker.

The End

Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are great! I look forward to writing the sequel, "In the Hands of Time" and hope you'll enjoy reading it as well.

In the Hands of Time…All shall be revealed.

Coming Soon to the near you!


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